


Speed Racers

by TruebornAlpha



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Childhood Friends, Dad Shiro, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Second Chances, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-08 03:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8828404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TruebornAlpha/pseuds/TruebornAlpha
Summary: It's been five years since Shiro and Keith were best friends in the Garrison. Five years since Shiro's graduation and the accident that almost killed him. Five years since Keith's whirlwind wedding when he tried to give up his hopeless pining for Shiro. Things have changed since he's been back, but hopefully the one thing he's missed is the one thing that's stayed the same.Recently divorced Keith returns home and reunites with Shiro, the one who got away.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **{{Civilian AU.}}** Please leave comments if you enjoy it!
> 
> Other fics in this verse include _[The Accident,](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11903613)_ and [Parent-Teacher Night!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11874207)

Broughton.

Home of nothing you’d recognize, and population too small to matter.

Keith hadn’t exactly left it in his rearview mirror with his finger in the air, but it had been a long time since he’d thought about the sleepy little town. Now it seemed like the only place that would take him. So much still looked the same. The familiarity was jarring and soothing all at once. It was almost like the last five years hadn’t happened, and if he went down a few more blocks there would still be a hot meal and soft bed waiting for him. But he couldn’t turn back time. His bags were still packed, and his left hand felt too light.

He still stopped at a fork in the road, loitering for far longer than he could get away with back in the big city. The road on his left would take him to the modest hotel room he’d rented on a whim. The road on his right would maybe take him to the reason he was back in Broughton at all. Keith didn’t have family anymore, but he had so many memories of a time he at least had a friend.

It was a question he wasn’t ready to face, but he spent too long trying to stare it down anyway.

Way too long.

Because out of nowhere, the brightest, glitteriest blue race car to ever exist tore through the street and tried to bowl him over.

“AHHHHHHHHH!”

The little homemade race car slammed into his knees and sent him flying towards the pavement as it pitched it’s even tinier rider out with it. He caught the flying bundle before he hit the ground, landing hard enough on his backside to bruise his spine. Keith hissed in pain, his shins throbbing from the impact.

The soapbox derby car had tipped, but was still in one piece. Someone must have spent a great deal of time lovingly putting it together. Its nose had been shaped more like a cone than the front of a car and little plywood wings extended out from the sides to make the whole thing look like a rocket ship. The squirming driver in his arms wore a helmet with the same glittery blue that matched her racer.

Keith lifted his attacker up to get a better look and was met with a wide grinning smile, one that was missing a front tooth.

“Mei! Mei, are you okay?” A man called out worriedly as he jogged down the hill towards them.

“I’m okay, Uncle Shiro.” She wiggled out of Keith’s arms and up to her feet. “I ran over a guy!” She sounded far too pleased with herself at that. “I’m really sorry, are you okay?”

“Fine. Just perfect.” Keith said dryly as the girl’s uncle swept her up in his arms.

“Did you see _?_ ” Mei crowed proudly. “I was going so fast like  _zoom_  and then he was all  _splat_. Can we make it a bumper car? That would be so cool! Or one of those big monster trucks that drives over all the little cars like  _cruuuunch._ ”

“You know the goal isn’t to run people over.” The man sighed before turning to Keith. “I’m really sorry sir, are you okay? Did she hurt you?

 _Sir_. Any other time, Keith would have laughed. He wasn’t old, wise, or boring enough for that, but not today. Because Uncle Shiro was Takashi Shirogane, and even after all these years, he could still take Keith’s breath away.

“Shiro.”

“Keith…" He could see the gears in Shiro’s head moving. "I didn’t know you were in town.” He saw him piecing together the last five years, and Keith closed his left hand into a fist instinctively. But he wanted to reach out, reach for Shiro. 

Then he nearly keeled over.

Mei gasped.

And that was how Keith found himself in Shiro’s kitchen, cradling a chipped Dora the Explorer mug as the afternoon breeze rolled in through an open window. It was surreal. Keith hadn’t left Broughton in his rearview mirror, but Shiro had. He’d left to a bigger city, a fancy job, a better life. He was the local boy who everyone thought would change the world, and they’d almost been right. Brilliant, cocky, and headstrong, Shiro had been so close to being one of the first people on Jupiter’s moon. Then the accident happened.

Keith hadn’t even been able to see him then.

Now Shiro was humming as he fussed around a tray of pastry puffs, in a bungalow that Keith could only call quaint, and Keith was slowly being covered in bandages. The hot chocolate Mei had set out for him was too sweet. Keith took a sip anyway.

“Does it hurt?” The kid asked solemnly, patting down another band-aid on his arm. Keith didn’t have the heart to tell her that his arm was just fine, thanks. It was his back that throbbed when he moved.

“When did you get back?” Shiro asked and Keith wrapped his hands around his mug, wondering what to say.

“Just recently. I was going to call, I just hadn’t had a chance yet.” It was a lame excuse, but Shiro didn’t seem to mind. He never did, it was like nothing could ever bother him. When they were younger, it was something that had driven Keith crazy. He always felt volatile, ready to burst at the slightest provocation that worked its way under his skin. Shiro had been so calm and patient, it had been unfair. Especially when Keith knew that the smile he wore wasn’t always the truth.

“I’m glad you’re in town! I know it’s been a while, but maybe if you have some time, we could catch up?” Shiro asked, giving Mei’s hair a fond ruffle. “A lot has changed since the last time we had a chance to hang out.”

Keith leapt gratefully at the new subject, anything to avoid the awkward rift between them. “I should have time, I was thinking about staying for a while. You know, you weren’t really the Dad type back then.”

“Yeah, Mei was a bit of a surprise. She was my sister’s kid, but it’s just the two of us these days. She’s a bit of a speed demon, aren’t ya?”

Mei gave Keith a toothless grin. “Didn’t I go fast? Uncle Shiro helped me build my rocket, I’m gonna enter it in the derby race and win. Victoria thinks she’s gonna win, but she’s not because she’s a butt.”

“Mei.” Shiro said like they’d had this argument a hundred times before.

“Sorry.” She said, leaning in closer towards Keith to whisper loudly. “She is though.”

“She might be a butt, but we don’t actually call her that because it’s mean, right?” Shiro lectured, but Mei just rolled her eyes and went back to treating her patient. “We’re sort of working on the insults thing and learning how to be nice.”

“She wouldn’t be a butt if _she_ was nice,” Mei grumbled darkly, with snark that was so sharply Shiro that Keith bit back a laugh. Shiro just scowled harder.

“Mei, you missed his elbow. Do you think you can get the brace upstairs and finish him up?” The little girl sat up, obviously taken with the idea, before she darted away, screaming her approval over her shoulder. Shiro was on Keith the moment she left the room.

“Okay, we have five minutes, give or take. Turn around and let me see your back or stop wincing every time you sit up.”

Keith startled, crossing his arms over his chest defensively before a pang of pain bit down his spine. Whatever happened to his face, it made Shiro look smug. “Wow.” He said, turning around more gingerly than he would have liked. “Maybe Victoria isn’t the only butt around here.”

Behind him Shiro laughed, and suddenly there was a plate of warm pastries in his lap and gentle hands helping him push his shirt up to his shoulders. Shiro whistled long and low. “She really did a number on you, huh?”

Keith would have argued, but Shiro was massaging smooth, soothing cream into his back with one hand, and suddenly nothing else mattered more than the cool relief that suffused into his skin. He groaned a little as the pain melted away. Then he groaned a lot.

“Keith, I’m sorry.” Shiro said, like Keith had chewed him out. That hadn’t changed.

“You already said that.”

“Well, I’m saying it again.” Same, well-meaning Shiro. That hadn’t changed either.

“Hey.” Keith turned, and his hand found Shiro’s, the metal unyielding beneath his palm. Shiro froze, so minutely, Keith would have missed it on anyone else. But this was Shiro and there was still too much history between him and the man who used to be his best friend. He tightened his grip, and Shiro laughed, voice softening almost like he wasn’t aware of it.

“Same, stubborn Keith.”

Shiro’s lashes cast shadows that fanned across his cheek, mouth quirked in a secretive smile. Keith always thought he was the only one who knew how wicked it really was.

“Unc'Shiro where is it!” Mei bellowed in one long syllable, and Shiro moved away, clearing his throat.

“By my bed!”

Keith wished a little more had changed.

Shiro looked a little older and the scars hadn’t faded in the years since Shiro’s accident. But the quiet mischievous spark in his dark eyes was the same, the same take charge attitude, the same broad shoulders and trim waist that Keith knew better than to look at, yet still couldn’t tear his eyes away. It would have made it easier if Shiro wasn’t the same person he’d known, it would have made the years apart hurt less.

“Do you want to get dinner sometime?” Keith blurted out before he could shut his mouth and silently cursed at his own stupidity. His face burned red, but Shiro just gave him that smile with its slight knowing edge.

“That sounds good, but it’s hard to find a babysitter these days. This being a Dad thing is a lot different than I thought.” Shiro said, rushing ahead as he saw Keith’s expression fall. “But I want to! I’ve gotten better at actually cooking something edible or we could just order a pizza. She goes to bed at like eight, so, I mean. If you didn’t mind coming over?”

Shiro looked so hopeful that there was no way Keith could refuse. Not that he would ever have considered turning Shiro down when just the barest touch of his hand sent him spinning. “That sounds great.” Keith said and was surprised by how much he meant it. “She’s cute, it looks like you’re doing really well.”

“You only say that because she ran you over and you must have whacked your head.” Shiro laughed. “We’re doing the best we can though. She’s a great kid, we never have a boring day.”

“So she really is just like you?”

Shiro faked outrage. “I never got in that much trouble! You’re getting the two of us confused again, that was you.”

“Really? I seem to remember that one time that somebody ‘borrowed’ one of the hoverbikes from the Garrison to challenge some of the town kids to a race across the desert.”

“That was YOU!” Shiro burst out laughing, but Keith just shrugged.

“And who didn’t stop me? See? You’re just a troublemaker, Shiro. No wonder she’s running over innocent people in the streets.”

“You’re anything but innocent, Keith Kogane.” Shiro laughed, and Keith knew he was serious when he broke out his whole name like that. A shiver raced up his spine, too familiar and too fond, and he wondered what if - but that wasn’t fair. To either of them.

“Unc-Unc-Unc!” Before an economically-sized whirlwind could attack the sofa, Shiro carefully smoothed down Keith’s shirt, and Keith obediently moved until he could lean into the couch, presenting his arm like a good patient. Mei was talking a mile a minute, dutifully checking over her handiwork before resuming the difficult work of turning Keith into the world’s brightest mummy.

He stretched his welcome as long as he could, unwilling to leave the peaceful domesticity Shiro had built for himself and his niece. It was comforting, a sense of home that Keith hadn’t felt in a very long time and Shiro was always too polite to chase him out. Keith even tried to convince himself that meant Shiro had wanted him to stay. They’d been friends once, the best of friends, before they drifted apart leaving Keith to wonder about all of the things that could have been.

Regret was a closer friend than any these days.

“Where are you staying?” Shiro asked, when Keith was approximately 50% bandage and trying not to fidget too blatantly at his door. “Someone ought to drive you home, make sure no other speed demons run you over.”

“As long as you and Mei stay home, I think I should be fine.” Keith replied dryly, and Shiro burst out laughing. Just like he expected him to. What Keith didn’t expect was the smug pride that came with it.

“Just don’t be a stranger, all right, Keith?” Shiro said, reaching out for him like it was the most natural thing in the world. His hand on Keith’s shoulder felt too warm, but it was a weight that Keith didn’t know he’d been missing until that moment. “Call me when you’ve got the time. And Quinn…”

Shiro trailed off, and Keith wished he hadn’t. He wished his stomach still didn’t drop at his name. He had every reason to be past that, yet it still didn’t feel like enough. Shiro looked torn, and something about being able to read him so easily after all this time helped settle Keith’s nerves.

“I’ll see you.” He said, squeezing Shiro’s hand on his shoulder. It sounded like a promise. That should have sent Keith running in the opposite direction. The last promise he made Shiro had ended terribly.

He earned a tight hug from Mei who left a smear of blue sparkles on his shirt as he was leaving. But even more surprising was the hug from Shiro. He could still feel the weight of Shiro’s arms around him and the warmth of his body even as he walked through the darkening streets back towards his hotel. The worst of it was, Keith couldn’t stop himself from grinning like an idiot.

The hotel was a moderately priced roadside place with clean sheets and an unusually spacious bathroom. It was a far cry from the fleabag holes he’d spent time in as a kid. Things had really changed,  _he_  had changed, but as he flopped back on the bed to stare up at the off-white ceiling, he let himself think back on Shiro and how it felt like things hadn’t really changed at all.

Shiro only had to smile at him and his heart was still trying to escape from his ribs. After five years and a failed marriage, Keith thought he had finally made it past this crush, but all of a sudden, he was a teenager again, daydreaming about the most popular cadet at the Garrison in his every waking moment.

He’d never known anyone but Shiro. For a while, Keith thought there wouldn’t be anyone else but him. He grew up in the system, where good people were always in short supply, and those that existed were run ragged. There was never enough for the people who needed it. Keith hadn’t been the best or the worst case, but he’d been smart enough to know how to keep his head down, even after getting into somewhere as prestigious as the Garrison. He expected to have to keep his head down for the rest of his life. Then he’d met Shiro.

For the longest time, he thought that Shiro was pulling his leg. Already praised as ‘the best pilot the Garrison had ever seen,’ the Golden Boy with the pretty smile, he had no reason to notice Keith unless it was to give him grief. Keith knew the type. Or at least, he thought he did. Because Shiro kept trying, with his terrible smile and worse sense of humor, and Keith fell hard. He didn’t think it was possible to like someone so quickly or so much. He didn’t doodle hearts around Shiro’s name in his notes but just barely.

He was the best friend Keith ever had. The first person Keith ever thought he could love. Then Keith ruined everything.

He closed his eyes and remembered back before it had all seemed so much simpler. Back then, he’d felt like he was going to burst every time Shiro so much as looked at him. He did his best to keep his trademark scowl and aloofness, though it was all just a cover to hide the awkward crush he kept buried inside. Everyone had always thought that Keith was cold and unfriendly, and that was the way he’d liked it. People left him alone instead of always trying to bother him.

Shiro just always seemed to know what was going on behind the mask.

“Come on!” Shiro punched Keith’s shoulder lightly. “I promise you’ll have a good time and I don’t want to go alone. I’m graduating, we should all be celebrating.”

Keith scrunched his face sourly. “You’re not going to be alone, it’ll be you and a hundred of your friends, Shiro. Besides, good riddance. With you gone, I’ll finally be the best pilot at the Garrison.”

“You were the best pilot anyways, Keith, all you need is a little more focus and a little more effort at being a leader. You’ve got the skills, now you’ve got to lead the rest of your flight crew.” Shiro threw an arm around Keith’s shoulder and pulled him in tight, ignoring how red Keith’s face burned at the touch. “Come on, I want  _you_  to be there with me. It’s not much of a party without you.”

“It wouldn’t be much of a party with me too.” The younger man huffed, but he was already smiling and Shiro knew he’d won. Damn him.

It had been exactly like Keith expected it to be. The music was too loud, the beer tasted like piss water, and everyone greeted him only to forget he existed for the rest of the party. Some guy passed out in the bathroom and every time Keith wanted to take a leak, he had to go around the block. Then there was Shiro. Shiro who took beer pong very seriously, Shiro who got into a shirtless pull up competition with a table lamp, Shiro who stayed plastered against his side the entire night and made Keith feel like his skin was prickling wherever they touched. If Keith drank more than he should have, it was only because he didn’t notice. Being next to Shiro was its own high.

The rest of the night was a blur, alcohol muddling the party with the daydreams he kept secret inside. All those months of wondering what it would be like to touch Shiro, to get the first kiss that mattered. He touched his mouth absently and rolled over and groaned, hiding his face in his pillow. It shouldn’t have been this easy, but he imagined the weight of Shiro on top of them, the feel of his body pressed against his. How tight his waist was under Keith’s hands, the breathy, hopeful way he said his name. It was supposed to be his last time to admit his feelings before Shiro graduated and walked out of his life. The dream was much better than the reality of that night.

What really happened had been shameful. Keith had been too loud, and picked a fight with one of Shiro’s friends though he was too drunk to know why. He remembered puking on Shiro’s shoes, and Shiro sighing so deeply, he made the earth shake (or maybe that was just Keith’s coordination going on strike). He’d humiliated himself, that much had been clear.

He didn’t remember much of it the next morning, when he woke up to a phone call that felt far too early, wrapped in his sheets and feeling like he’d been trampled. The first thing Shiro wanted to was how he’d been doing. Then it was all downhill from there.

“I guess breakfast’s out of the question.” Shiro had said, teasing just enough to take the sting out of his mockery, and Keith had wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

“That’s an understatement.” Keith groaned, rubbing his hands over his face and wishing for death. He’d ruined everything in just one night. How many months had he spent quietly pining for Shiro to see him as more than just a friend? How many years had he wondered what it was like to actually touch him? And then he got so drunk, he was embarrassingly stupid before puking on his best friend’s shoes. So much for some lame attempt to be sexy. “Sorry about last night.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” He could hear the laughter in Shiro’s voice and it made him feel sick all over again. Shiro thought he was a joke.

“Yes I do, it was all a mistake. I’m really sorry it happened.” Apologizing wasn’t his usual tactic, but Keith wasn’t sure how to fix this unless there was a way to go back in time and rewrite his humiliation. He should have been more careful, he was just lucky that Shiro didn’t sound angry, but with Shiro, it was always hard to tell what he was feeling beneath the calm. “If I said anything last night, just forget it. I was drunk, I didn’t mean it.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone and Keith wondered just how bad it had been. Someone probably had pictures. Oh god, he was never going to be able to talk to anyone ever again. “If that’s what you want.” Shiro said finally and Keith winced.

“Yeah, I’ll call you later.” Keith hung up before Shiro could say another word and pulled his pillow up over his face.

Something had shifted that night, though Keith had never been able to put his finger on exactly what. Shiro was still friendly, they still hung out sometimes, but something had changed. When they started to drift apart after graduation, Keith just let it happen. Shiro must have just come to his senses and realized he shouldn’t waste his time with some angry loner who couldn’t spend ten minutes in normal company without embarrassing himself.

Yet there had only been one person Keith wanted to call to be his Best Man at his wedding, and Shiro had done everything right. His speech made Quinn’s mother cry. Keith had thought he’d be able to put his hang ups behind him, thought he and Shiro could finally go back to being the way they used to be. But Shiro got a job on the coast, and Keith and Quinn moved away. Then there was Shiro’s accident.

Keith should have been there for him, he should have tried harder to call. He shouldn’t have taken Shiro’s stubborn cheer at face value. Shiro was always so difficult when he wanted to be. They hadn’t burned their bridges, but they’d left them teetering and damaged, the waters beneath them murky with missed opportunities.

Now the ink wasn’t dry on their divorce papers, and Keith was throwing himself at Shiro all over again. Though in his defense, he hadn’t set out to get hit by a car, no matter how small.

Keith tried valiantly to suffocate himself on his pillow. If he had any respect for himself or for Shiro, he’d back off. He came back to Broughton to get his life back together, not to run what little was left of it through a meat compressor.

But that evening, when Shiro called, Keith answered on the first ring.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you so soon, but Mei wouldn’t go to sleep unless I let her check in on her patient. She’s been very worried since found a couple of Band-Aids in the cupboard she didn’t stick on you yet. Would you mind just telling her goodnight?” Shiro pleaded and Keith muffled a laugh at how rattled the once great leader of the Garrison cadets seemed in the face of such tiny terror.

“Sure, I guess I can do that.”

“Thanks, you’re really a life savior. Mei, now just a minute and then bedtime for real, okay?”

“Okay.” The little girl said as she took the phone and pressed it too close to her face so all Keith could hear was her breathing.

“Um, Mei?” He tried to prompt.

“Hi. I wanted to make sure you were feeling okay and that all your broken bones were better.” She sounded so serious that Keith had to smile.

“All my broken bones are better, you’re a very good doctor.”

“I know.” She said seriously without any trace of bragging. “But you have to come for a checkup, okay?”

Shiro plucked the phone out of her hands as the little girl squawked and did his best to shoo her back towards her bedroom. “I’m really sorry about that, I think she’s sort of taken with you. So I was thinking, if you’re free tomorrow night, would you like to come over for dinner? For me, not for her. Well, I mean she’s going to be here and everything, but she’s not the reason I’m asking. Okay, she’s sort of the reason I’m asking, but I really do want to get a chance to catch up with you while you’re in town.”

“Yeah, okay.” Keith said, almost too quickly, and swallowed thickly. It felt like something was stuck in his throat. It felt like his heart. Okay, for a thousand missed chances. Okay, for nostalgia that was so thick it made it hard to breathe. Okay, for Shiro’s little girl. Okay, because Keith was heart sick, and this was going to be last time he’d allow himself to be. It was over.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night.”


	2. Chapter 2

Keith was early. Sort of. He told Shiro that he’d be in at around 7, and 6:15 was as around seven as anything could be. Besides, Shiro asked him to come over twice. He figured being early was just the polite thing to do. Why he was wearing his nicest shirt was harder to explain, but its collar felt too tight and Keith vaguely suspected that he was very much in trouble.

The lights were on when he rang the doorbell, but no one answered.

Keith began to wonder just how much trouble he was in.

Then there was shuffling on the other side of the door, the padding of slippered feet, and the drag of something heavy across the floor. The door opened with its chain firmly latched, and Mei’s small face peered out at him suspiciously. “Keith!” She said, then immediately scowled, looking over her shoulder. “I’m not supposed to let anyone in.”

“Why? Where’s your dad?” Keith asked, immediately certain that nothing normal would tear Shiro away from his niece.

“Asleep.” Mei scrunched up her face, not protesting but anticipating an argument. Keith thought that was very Shiro of her. “Is it just you?”

“Yes.” Keith said, injecting enough confidence into one word so she’d never know how much he second-guessed himself. “I brought you a horn. For your car.”

She scrunched even harder, then the door closed, but it opened a second later, the chain gone. Mei had her hands on her hips, ready to tell him off, “Okay, but he’s tired. So let him sleep. He doesn’t get a lot.”

She looked so serious, Keith wasn’t enough of a jerk to deny her. He followed her into the living room. On the couch, wearing a ratty old shirt, was Shiro. He shifted in his sleep, and it rode up, just enough that Keith could see the dark trail of hair that slipped behind his soft-looking sweatpants. It was a good thing Keith wasn’t looking. His hair was tousled, white bangs falling over his eyes, and a little trickle of drool slipped down the corner of his mouth. His prosthetic was out. The sleeve of his shirt hung limp over nothing, and Keith didn’t want to be the one to wake him.

It was more vulnerable than he’d seen Shiro in years and his fingers twitched to reach out to him, trace the lines of his scars and brush through his hair. Keith wondered what Shiro'd look like sleepy and disoriented when he woke up, his hair messed and sweetly submitting to Keith’s touch. Or what it must be like to curl next to him, to fit his body beside Shiro and let himself be lulled by the warmth.

Keith shook his head. This Shiro was a far cry from the Shiro he knew back in the Garrison, the one who always worked too hard to get ahead. He hadn’t gotten picked as one of the youngest pilots for a deep space mission by accident. He’d sacrificed and pushed with his eyes focused on his goal. Sometimes he even let it blind him to everything else.

He tore his eyes away from Shiro and smiled weakly at Mei who was watching him suspiciously. “If he’s asleep, he must really be exhausted. Why don’t I help finish dinner and we let him rest?”

The little girl was dismissive of anyone who didn’t seem to have her boundless energy, but Keith had promised she could help. Eventually she conceded. She climbed up on one of the stools and barked orders like the Queen of the Kitchen, showing Keith where all the utensils were. It didn’t look like Shiro was a much better cook than in their Garrison days if the pantry was any indication. He’d never seen so many boxes of macaroni and cheese in one place.

“How about pancakes, those aren’t easy to mess up. Want breakfast for dinner?” Keith asked, stretching his limited cooking skills to their max. Thankfully, Mei cheered the idea and Keith set about trying to find all the ingredients.

When Shiro woke up and padded to the kitchen barefoot, Keith was hard at work over the griddle, a smear of flour across his face. Mei was dusted too, like it had been snowing flour and she’d decided to roll in it. Shiro paused when he realized what they were doing, face unreadable for a moment as he struggled with something unsaid, but settled on a smile. “Breakfast, huh? Good choice. Sorry about that, if I stop moving for more than 30 seconds these days, I fall asleep. I should probably change into some real clothes.”

“Just have a seat, we got things under control here.” It was so easy to trust Shiro's smile. Keith wondered just how many people could see beyond it, but it was a flickering thought. It was gone the moment Mei tried to pour the entire bowl of pancake batter onto his skillet, and suddenly he had more important things to think about.

He didn’t hear Shiro leave the room, but he expected him to. Keith was more preoccupied trying to make the fluffiest scrambled eggs possible. When he turned around, he was shocked to see Shiro at the dinner table, with orange juice laid out in matching fish-covered cups and pancake syrup proudly displayed in the center of the table. What was surprising was that Shiro was still as sleep-ruffled and soft looking as he’d been earlier. Keith didn’t know much about anything right now, but he knew he wanted to protect that.

Oblivious to Keith’s temporary breakdown, Mei hurried up to her uncle, dropping a plate of pancakes with pride. “I made this one,” she said, and picked one out from the middle with her fingers to put on Shiro’s plate. Shiro didn’t hesitate before taking a bite, and praised her around a mouthful of slightly gooey pancake. His hair was standing up on one side of his head, and Keith wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through it.

He couldn’t remember the last time he missed Quinn like this, and he was still in the same room as Shiro. But Shiro smiled like Keith had hung the moon.

“Hey, thanks for breakfast. I know Mei did all the hard work, but I’m sure you helped.”

“It’s true.” Mei said around a mouthful of pancake and Shiro had to tell her to chew before trying to talk. It was such a sweet domestic scene right out of a Norman Rockwell and Keith’s heart ached for something he’d never known.

Things had started well with Quinn, but it had been all sparks and little substance. They were combustible, which made things feel exciting in the beginning. After so many years of wanting to be wanted, Keith'd found someone who lived and loved with the same reckless abandon that he did. It felt good to be swept up in the chaos, their fights just leading to spectacular make up sessions, but that wasn’t anything to build a relationship on. They had no common ground, no future plans. Love burned fast and fizzled out, leaving Keith living with someone who felt more like a stranger than a partner.

It was hard to sit here and watch a life he’d never even known he wanted.

“She’s the real star of the kitchen.” Keith faked a smile and was relieved that Shiro didn’t seem to notice.

“Well, one of us has to be. I swear I’ve been getting better, but there’s a long way to go before I can make something that isn’t out of a box.” Shiro ducked his head in embarrassment and Keith felt the small knot of worry in his shoulders start to ease.

“You mean, something other than mac and cheese?”

“Hey, that’s a classic! Who doesn’t love mac and cheese?”

“Mac'n'cheese issa food group.” Mei said around another mouth full of pancake, without a trace of humor on her face, and for one moment, Shiro looked so genuinely concerned that Keith burst out laughing. He covered it up by trying to drown himself in orange juice, but Shiro patted his back with a wry smile. It was so familiar, Keith couldn’t help but give one back.

There were many things Keith wasn’t ready to talk about, doubly so with Shiro’s niece in the room, but conversation flowed easily. They stuck to topics so safe, they could have been draped in bubble wrap, but Keith couldn’t stop smiling. It helped that Mei could always be counted on to wax poetic about her rocket ship, and how she was going to be a doctor-racer-astronaut when she grew up, just like her uncle.

Holding a conversation with a kid was a specific class of tiring, but at least with Shiro there, it didn’t feel like Keith was floundering. He made Mei laugh, but she was a good kid, friendly and open and more confident than Keith remembered being at her age. He supposed family made all the difference.

Shiro insisted on doing the dishes. Keith wished he hadn’t, because there was no one left to stop Mei from grabbing a bag of popcorn and shoving it into the microwave, insisting on staying up with the grownups. “Please, please, Keith? Tell Uncle Shiro it’s okay.”

“Your bed time’s supposed to be at eight.” Keith tried to look stern and imposing, but if the way Shiro was snorting was any indication, he wasn’t doing a very good job. So they huddled on the couch, Mei tucked between them, her cheek pressed against her Uncle’s chest.

Shiro put on a documentary on paper making. She was out like a light in ten minutes. Shiro carried her to bed, looking terribly smug.

Then it was just the two of them, and Keith let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“You know, we could have just ordered pizza. You didn’t have to do all that.” Shiro said softly, offering him a lopsided smile, but there was laughter in his eyes. “But I’m glad you did. I owe you one, buddy.”

“I was happy to help.” Keith wondered if he could just curl into the place Mei had left at Shiro’s side now that she’d gone to bed. How inappropriate would it be for him to try? Probably very. He stifled a quiet sigh of resignation and allowed himself to creep just a few inches closer on the couch.

“You know, you haven’t really told me why you’re back in town. I didn’t think you ever wanted to come back to this place.” Shiro asked without really asking and Keith’s hands tightened around the mug of after dinner tea.

“I could say the same thing about you.”

Shiro chuckled softly, glancing back towards the bedroom where Mei was sleeping. “You’re right about that. I wasn’t ever planning on coming back, I was barely planning to be on earth at all. After the accident, I sort of struggled for a while to figure out where I was supposed to be anymore and then when my sister passed, Mei didn’t have anyone else to take her in. I never thought that this was going to be my life, but I’m honestly happier than I’ve been in a long time. I guess I missed having a family around.”

“Quinn and I split up.” Keith blurted out, mentally kicking himself. This wasn’t the way he wanted to do this, but he couldn’t seem to stop his mouth from moving even as he mentally berated himself. “It wasn’t really working out and we separated a few years ago. The divorce was just finalized.”

“Oh Keith, I’m so sorry.” Shiro’s expression was so genuine and when he put a hand to Keith’s shoulder, Keith felt like crying for the first time in months.

“I-it’s okay. Honestly, we both knew it wasn’t going to work, we just didn’t want to admit it.” He brushed off the comfort rather than admit how much it hurt. “I guess I was like you. I wasn’t sure where to go, so I ended up back here looking for answers.”

“Well, you always have me. No matter what, we’re friends and I’m here if you need me for anything. I mean it.”

Friends, Keith thought, as Shiro reached out for him, pulling him into a hug that had no right to feel as good as it did. There was so much he didn’t know he missed until he was tucked into Shiro’s side, and he found he could breathe easier. He missed Shiro. He missed being his friend. He missed having someone who was unconditionally in his corner, someone who didn’t care how many times he failed, someone who would be there to help Keith try again. He’d spent so many months lonely. There were people he knew with Quinn; they’d built a life together, and for a long time, they’d been happy. But divorces had a way of making your friends choose sides. Even the ones who chose you didn’t come away unscathed.

Shiro was different. Shiro was his first. With Shiro, Keith didn’t have to worry about Quinn. The fact that he had to be so calculated made Keith’s chest ache.

“I wanted it to work. I tried so hard to make it work.” Keith said, surprising himself with the confession. It was the simplest truth. It just hadn’t been enough in the end.

But now he didn’t have to bear his memories alone. Shiro was just one person, but a friend meant so much.

This time, Keith was sure he wasn’t going to mess it up.

They spent the rest of the evening together, gradually shifting conversation to kinder topics, and by the time Keith finally left, his stomach hurt from laughing so hard. He couldn’t remember the last time he had, but Shiro’s lame sense of humor was irresistible though he’d never admit it. Shiro was much too proud of his stupid puns as it was. When he tried to sleep that night, all he could do was imagine what it would be like to see Shiro like that every day, soft and tired and beautiful.

Keith spent too much time over the next week with Shiro and Mei. Deep down, he knew that he was imposing. He’d dropped into their lives without warning and wasn’t making any attempt to leave, but they never made him feel unwelcome. He was taking advantage of their hospitality, but didn’t plan on stopping.

They pulled him into their lives with open arms. Mei pounced on him whenever he visited, dragging him to see whatever new addition she’d made to her little soapbox derby rocket and so excited about the upcoming race. Sitting with Shiro after dinner when she’d gone to bed had become the highlight of Keith’s day, a quiet hour or two to just relax and laugh, swapping stories or even just curling up on the couch together to watch mindless tv. It felt so much like what it used to be between them. Like what it could be.

And Keith told himself he’d stop thinking like that. It hadn’t worked yet.

When Shiro asked him out for lunch on the weekend, Keith jumped at the offer. He wondered if Shiro would ever stop asking and realize that Keith was just going to show up, whether he liked it or not. But today was a big day. Mei was going for her first real trial run, down the knoll at the local park. If she had her way, she’d be speeding through Murder Mountain. Keith was pretty sure there was a kid-friendlier name out there, but the terrible hill down 6th St. that cut all the way through town had been the Mountain back when he was making terrible racing decisions. It was a good thing that Shiro had enough sense to stop things now, just like he’d had back then.

A small crowd had gathered, most of them faces Keith could vaguely recall from Shiro’s blurry camera pictures, all of them Mei’s friends, and a few of their curious parents. Mei stood in the center of them all, a towel tied around her neck like a cape. Shiro looked so proud he could burst. 

There was something about seeing him that way that took Keith back, except the last time he’d seen Shiro like that, he’d been in a tuxedo. Keith thought he’d look really good back then, too. 

On the day of Keith’s wedding. 

Keith thought about it more than he liked to admit, how nervous he’d been, how antsy. It was a small ceremony. He didn’t have many people to fill the pews, and Quinn wasn’t interested in anything lavish. They’d been alike in that way. Setting up a house had never been trouble, but building a home was more difficult than either one of them was ready for.

But Shiro had been so much more than Keith knew what to do with. Keith had missed him for years then suddenly, he was everywhere at once, playing usher, charming guests, keeping Keith grounded. When it felt like Keith would shake through his clothes, Shiro was there, retying his bow for the umpteenth time, even though Keith was sure it was as crisp as it had ever been. He just never found it in him to tell Shiro to stop.

“Just breathe, you’re going to be okay.” Shiro had said, and he sounded like he was laughing at him. Keith couldn’t blame him, he just scowled harder.

“It’s not too late to back out now. I can be at the border in under an hour.” To this day, Keith wasn’t sure if he’d been joking, but when Shiro laughed at him, it made all his insides squirm like they were trying to be his outsides.

“Yeah, and what am I supposed to tell Quinn?”

“Nothing,” Keith said. “You’re coming with me.”

Shiro clasped his shoulder, pulling him in for a hug that Keith wished would never end. He wanted this, he loved Quinn. He wanted to make this work, but moving forward with Quinn meant that in some way, he needed to leave Shiro behind. It was time to let go and Keith wasn’t sure he was ready. 

“Come on, you’re going to be great. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Keith had let Shiro lead him out to the ceremony, but he couldn’t forget those words. Looking back, he wished he’d known that they wouldn’t be true. Now that he had a second chance, Keith wasn’t sure what to do. 

When he spotted Keith, Shiro perked up, waving so enthusiastically that Keith ducked shyly. He didn’t catch the moment some little kid tugged on Shiro’s arm, but he caught the many that followed, when Shiro lifted his arm and the six year old came with it. A cry broke out across the group, and suddenly Shiro had a child on each arm, balancing them like wiggling dumbbells as they shrieked laughter. By the time Keith got there, he was balancing six, and Keith judged him. So very, very much.

“What?” Shiro asked innocently as he flexed, lifting the kids as high into the air as he could. “I don’t get to the gym as often as I should these days, there’s just no time.”

“I would have never noticed.” Keith said dryly, clearly noticing the way the muscles in Shiro’s arms tightened and the way they shifted in his back all too closely. Damnit, so much for being over this stupid crush. Shiro looked altogether too pleased with himself and Keith huffed, turning away.

“He’s really good with the kids.” One of the mothers said, coming over to stand by Keith as she watched her son swing from Shiro’s arms. “He’s always so popular.”

Keith gave a non-committal grunt, but the woman just took it as agreement.

“It’s not much of a surprise, he’s pretty popular with all the parents too.”

“Great.” He muttered, feeling an uncomfortable curl of jealousy knot itself in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t have any right to feel jealous, this wasn’t his life. Shiro was allowed to be popular and have the local PTA parents drooling over his body and the way his jeans clung to his hips and,  _get a grip Keith!_  He wasn’t some hormonal teenager anymore, this wasn’t something he could do. They were friends again, barely, there was still too much distance to work through but he wasn’t going to get anywhere if it meant lusting after Shiro every second of the day.

It still didn’t feel nice to watch the other parents ogle him like they had any right. He sidled over to Shiro who gently dropped the kids to their feet as they laughed. “You’re drawing quite the crowd.”

Shiro grinned with too many teeth, then tapped his niece on the head. Mei looked up at Keith with solemn eyes, and asked, “Do you even lift bro?”

Shiro burst out laughing, almost doubled-over in delight, and Keith buried his face in his hands. Then Shiro lifted up his shirt to wipe his brow, and Keith had to bury it farther. 

“You’re just encouraging them.” Keith said more bitterly than he meant, glancing over at the other parents and already categorizing them as unflattering soccer moms in his mind. “They seem to like the show.”

“Hm?” Shiro glanced over at the women and laughed, giving them all a wave. “Oh, they’re just some of the other parents in the neighborhood. They’re great, their kids have been really welcoming to Mei since she moved in with me.”

“I’ll bet. I don’t think she’s the one they have their eyes on though.”

Shiro arched one eyebrow before giving Keith a playful shove. “If you know something, you might want to tell it to Adrienne’s wife. I’m sure they’d both get a kick out of that.”

Keith deflated like a balloon, scowling darkly as though he could cover up his embarrassment through sheer snark. Okay, so maybe he’d been projecting just a tiny little bit and making unfair assumptions about people because his crush on Shiro was just as bad as ever. This wasn’t right, he needed to get a handle on things…but it was impossible not to feel his heart flutter when Shiro leaned in close, unconsciously intimate in a way that Keith missed more than he realized. “That’s not what I meant.” He lied.

He could swear Shiro was preening, but that had to be just another projection and Keith took a deep breath to try and regain his composure.  

“Urgh, come on,” Mei huffed, tugging on his arm for attention. She scowled at Keith like this was all his fault, and Keith had nothing to tell her. Shiro had been terrible long before they met. But Shiro scooped her up into his arms, and she squealed in excited delight, immediately placated as Shiro carried her to her rocket ship. “You’re getting my cape smushed.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo. The real one’ll be fine. Keith and I will have those matching shirts, too, so they know we’re your road crew.”

“Me?” Keith laughed.

“Of course, you’re part of the team,” Shiro said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Keith never had much hope of escape.

Her racer waited at the top of the hill. As Mei got in, a hush fell over the children watching, but Mei waved excitedly at a little girl with curly pigtails. She was distracted until Shiro crouched in front of her, brushing her hair out of her face and retying her ponytail with familiarity born of practice.

“You remember your controls, just like we practiced?” He asked as he helped her put on her helmet.

“I know!” She huffed, too eager to listen to any last minute instructions and Shiro couldn’t help but feel a familiar pang. She was too much like him, hopefully she had more luck with it. Even her swatting hands didn’t stop Shiro from fussing with her helmet and double checking everything before he stepped back and let Mei edge towards the top of the hill.

“And no running into people?”

“Uncle Shiro, I knowwwww!”

The rest of her friends gathered around to cheer her on (with the exception of Victoria, Shiro noted.  _Go on baby, you show her!)_  Keith slipped in beside him and Shiro casually draped his arm around Keith’s shoulders, trying not to read into the way Keith stiffened beside him.

“She’s going to be okay.” He said as if Keith was the one who needed convincing, but nothing could stop the worry as Mei pushed herself down the hill and the little spaceship racer picked up speed. There was no way to stop her, she was reckless and fearless, just like he had been. Just like they’d both been. He snuck a quick glance at the man beside him before watching his niece streak down the hill.

He thought he knew what fear was after the crash that had cost him his arm and left him too battered to fly. It still kept him awake some nights with gasping strangling panic, but it was nothing like loving a child who always ran headfirst into trouble. Shiro had never thought he could ever love anyone so much before.

Keith nudged him in the side.

“Stop worrying.”

“I’m not.” Shiro bit back, his heart in his throat, until Keith sighed, leaning into him ever so slightly, like he was just doing Shiro a favor. Good. Shiro could use it.

“She’s going to be fine.”

“Yeah.”

And he looked so unhappy, Keith wished he could hold his hand.

 _She’s going to be fine._  Shiro thought, as she flew down the hill, screaming all the way.

 _She’s going to be fine._  Shiro thought, as her friends cheered her on, and Keith’s hand brushed against his, slow and tentative, because he still hadn’t stopped trembling.

 _She’s going to be fine._  Shiro thought, as Mei’s little car turned too sharply and slammed into a tree, and all Shiro could hear was his racing pulse.

He was running before he even realized he’d moved, racing down the hill and skidding too fast to get to her. The little rocket ship had crumpled, it’s plywood splintered and the cone nose crunched. The wings had snapped off and even the tail fin had bent. But none of that was as important as the little girl who sobbed, reaching out to Shiro who pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.

He searched her over for injuries, counting each tiny scrape and smear of dirt. The car had taken the worst of it and all the additional safety padding Shiro had insisted she wear had saved her from anything serious. A small bruise was blooming on the side of her cheek and her hands were scratched, but she was whole and in one piece. It didn’t stop her from wailing as she clung to Shiro, more scared than hurt, as he murmured reassurances and tried to stop his own heart from racing.

Keith slid to a stop beside him, phone already out. “Do we need to call for help?”

“Shhhhhh, breathe. You’re okay.” Shiro breathed, giving Keith a small shake of his head. “It was just an accident, you’re gonna be okay, baby girl.”

Mei was inconsolable and buried her face in Shiro’s shoulder, her entire body shaking as she cried.

“Just a few scrapes.” Shiro said to Keith as he rubbed his hand down Mei’s back.  _She’s going to be fine._


	3. Chapter 3

Shiro had never really thought about being a father.

Sure, he’d considered it in that vague, unspecified future where he just assumed things would work out, the way kids are always assume their lives should be. He’d meet someone eventually and fall in love. He’d start a family, they’d own a house, maybe a dog. It was there, but it was never anything he focused on.

The sky was his goal and Shiro had spent every waking moment trying to reach it. He might not have been a genius in the cockpit like some he’d known in the Garrison, but he had skill and he worked hard, pushing himself to be better every day. His true talent was in the way he could inspire, bringing a team together and leading them on any mission the Garrison could throw at them. It was the reason he’d been awarded a command right after graduation despite his age and why he’d piloted some of the most important intra-solar system exploration in a decade. It had all been a dream come true until the accident.

The crash had cost him everything but his life, and the first year or two afterwards, there were times he wished it had taken that too. He struggled to adjust to his injuries and the months of grueling physical therapy until he could put himself back together. He would never fly again, but it wasn’t the end. And it wasn’t the last tragedy.

Shiro had never really thought about being a father, but when Mei had shown up on his doorstep after his sister’s passing, he found another purpose in life. Most days, he felt like he was making it all up as he went along. Being the cool uncle had always been so much easier than being a parent and sometimes, he barely felt like he could take care of himself, let alone someone else. But he loved her with all of his heart, and they found a way to make it work.

Now, with Mei locked in her room ever since her disastrous crash in the park and refusing to come out, Shiro had no idea what to do. It was all his fault.

Shiro blinked stupidly as a bottle of apple juice was shoved under his nose.

“This was the strongest thing I found in the house,” Keith said seriously, and Shiro honestly couldn’t say he knew how to respond. Keith hadn’t left his side since Mei’s accident. If Shiro tried, he was certain he’d be able to recall everything, but he didn’t want to. Already too much stood out. Adrienne’s frantic offer to take them to the hospital. The sickening lurch when Mei’s rocket ship came apart as they lifted it into the back of his car. His little girl’s heartbroken wails and the terrible quiet that followed.

Shiro wouldn’t let go of her, even with her face tucked into his shirt, unable to turn to even her closest friends. Keith had driven them home in Shiro’s modest Toyota, a far cry from the souped-up hoverbike he’d flaunted at the Garrison. Shiro hadn’t even asked for help.

And Keith was still here, looking at him expectantly.

Shiro took the drink. “You get boring when you become a dad, what can I say?”

Keith fell into the spot beside Shiro, just a couch cushion away, and Shiro wished he could ask him to never leave. That wasn’t fair to either of them. A heavy silence fell between them, but Shiro was almost too far gone to notice. He called himself Mei’s dad, but he wasn’t sure he deserved that much. He’d pushed her too hard, so eager to find something they could both connect on, and now when she needed someone to guide her, he had nothing to offer.

Then Keith reached out. He opened the juice bottle without plucking it from Shiro’s grip, hands warm and steady over his, and Shiro’s stomach plummeted to his feet.

“You’re not going to make her come out by watching her door.”

Shiro put on his most convincing smile as he took a drink, trying not to think about the phantom touch that lingered on his skin. It was Mei’s favorite brand and almost completely sugar. Shiro wondered if he should have been more strict about that, too. “Thanks. I mean it, Keith. You’ve done so much, and we owe you big time, but if you’ve got somewhere to be, I promise, we’ve got things covered.”

“No way, Shiro. I know I haven’t been much of a friend lately, but that’s going to change. As long as you want me here, then I’m here.”

It would have been easier on them both to just ask Keith to go and wallow in his own misery where no one could see him, but he hesitated. He’d been facing this alone for so long that any help was welcome. He sat there in silence for a moment, juice bottle in one hand, the other, his prosthetic, flexing slightly.

“I have no idea what I’m doing.” It was frightening to say it out loud, but almost a relief to put the fear into words where someone else could hear it. “I had a difficult couple of years there after the accident and now…I have no clue how to be a parent. I can fake it most days, but I don’t know how to help her when she’s sad or how to keep her safe. I could have lost her.”

“It was just a couple of scratches.” Keith tried to gently lead him back. “She was wearing her helmet and her pads, she didn’t get hurt.”

“But she could have been. What about next time, Keith? What if I’m not there to help her, or worse, what if it’s my fault she was hurt in the first place? She’s in her room terrified, and it’s my fault!”

Keith slid over those last inches between them, pulling Shiro into his arms. It was so sudden that it surprised them both, Shiro tensing before giving up and relaxing into the other man’s touch. “You’re doing the best you can.”

“But my best isn’t good enough. I wasn’t meant to be anybody’s father, I don’t know what to do. I love her more than anything, but it wasn’t ever supposed to be like this! I’m not cut out for any of it.”

“Shiro…” Keith’s hand was gentle on his cheek, pulling him closer, and Shiro couldn’t help but turn into him.

“I don’t know what to do when she’s angry, or she won’t eat. I don’t what to do when she’s frustrated and crying, I just… I want to do the right thing, but I don’t know what that is.” Shiro whispered. She’d become his life as soon as she collided with his, but on the days it became clear that he was still floundering left him aching and hollow. No matter how he tried, sometimes it never felt like enough.

“Then you’ll figure it out.” Keith said simply, like it was the most obvious answer in the world. “Shiro, I know you. I’ve known you longer than I’ve known anyone in my life, and it’s just what you do. When there’s something you need to do, you find a way, especially when it’s for someone you care about. You do everything you have to, and you love her so much, and sometimes all a kid really needs is someone to care about them enough to keep fighting.”

Keith’s voice broke, emotion twisting around something that felt too personal, and Shiro embraced him tighter, his cheek stubbornly pressed against Keith’s shoulder. He heard Keith’s breath hitch, felt his throat work as he swallowed, and Shiro shuddered. Keith was the only one who made him greedy, even when Shiro knew he shouldn’t be.

 _You don’t know me as well as you think you do_. Shiro thought regretfully. It was unfair, those times had passed and Shiro had worked hard to put them behind him. He pulled away with a brittle smile. “Thanks. It really helps having you here, there hasn’t been anyone I could really talk to about this in a long time.”

 _And I missed you_.

“I’m glad.” Keith was never very good at making others laugh on purpose, but he tried and Shiro appreciated him all the more for it. They leaned into each other and for once, Shiro didn’t mind letting himself feel so vulnerable. By the time Keith had left, Shiro was even feeling relaxed enough to try and sleep.

He checked in on Mei before heading off to bed. She was curled up in a lump under the sheets, her moon-shaped nightlight casting a pale glow across the room. It was just enough light for her glow-in-the-dark star stickers he’d bought for her to reflect back a pale green. She was fast asleep, still hugging the stuffed puppy with the one chewed off ear she’d had since she was a baby. Shiro breathed a quiet sigh of relief and kissed the top of her head, making sure she was tucked under her blanket before closing the door behind him and tiptoeing towards his room. Keith was right, he would figure this out.

He just didn’t think figuring it out would come with a jug of crazy glue and an almost hopeful Keith on his doorstep the next afternoon.

“I had an idea, you know, if you wanted.” Keith said, hefting a giant bag of supplies up into the air. “Maybe I could help you fix up Mei’s racer? I’m actually not that bad at building things.”

“Keith!” Shiro laughed, too startled to do anything else. There was already glitter clinging to the side of his bag, in bright pink and purple and blue. Shiro couldn’t believe what he was looking at. “You test rockets for a living. I think you’re a lot better than ‘not bad.’”

Keith snorted, but he had to shimmy his way through the door. He may have bought far too many supplies. Shiro needed to pull him the rest of the way in, and he hadn’t stopped laughing yet. “Where’s the kid?”

“Mei’s at Autumn’s,” Shiro said, and Keith vaguely recalled a little dark-skinned girl with curly pigtails as Shiro helped relieve him of his very many burdens. “She probably won’t be back until dinner.”

“Good.” Keith was a man on a mission. Shiro recognized that determined gleam in his eyes. He saw it whenever someone dared tell Keith there was something he couldn’t do. “We’ll surprise her, and no offense meant, but I don’t trust her around a nail gun.”

“Keith!” Shiro was nearly in tears, gripping the closest counter for support, and for once, Keith faltered, but his expression was nothing but fond.

“You’re going to help me, right?”

Keith’s hands were full. He was completely defenseless when Shiro moved in and pulled him into a hug, tucking him under his chin like there was nowhere else he’d ever want him to be.

“Thank you.”

Shiro shouldn’t have spoken so soon. The little soapbox derby rocket ship was a wreck, its pieces splintered and pulled apart. There were still some things that could be salvaged, but saving it would mean that they would have to rebuild most of it from scratch. It went faster with two people, or at least it should have in theory. Two pairs of hands were better than one and two skilled graduates from the Garrison should have been able to put together the little plywood car in no time.

They just couldn’t seem to focus enough to make much progress.

Keith was the one who tipped over a container of glitter on the garage floor, though he claimed it was an accident. Shiro was the one who took a pinch and sprinkled it on Keith’s head, definitely  _not_  an accident. It ignited a war that left them both laughing and looking like they’d gotten into a battle with Tinker Bell. Shiro knew he’d been finding little bits of blue glitter on himself for the rest of eternity, but it would be a small price to pay. The glue was entirely an accident

No one had noticed that the seal around the glue had leaked until it was too late. All Shiro heard was a disgusted noise from Keith, but he’d heard it all too often in the hours they’d spent piecing the rocket car back together and dismissed it as he carefully reattached a wing. Neither one of them was sure exactly how it happened, Shiro had sat back suddenly and Keith gave a yelp of outrage.

“Damn it, Shiro!”

“What?” Shiro asked, standing up. His pants however, tried valiantly to stay stuck to Keith’s hand, bonded with the quick drying glue. Shiro burst out laughing.

“Shiro! Shiro stop this isn’t funny!”

Keith’s protests were lost under another howl of laughter, and even if he was smacking Shiro’s hip, Shiro refused to be helpful in anyway. Then he wiggled.

“SHIRO NO!”

But Keith was laughing too, as Shiro jumped and shimmied, and crawled out of his pants, leaving them stuck to the other man’s palm as he beamed with triumph with hands on his hips, showing off his Superman boxers proudly. Keith would not look anywhere, face burning a bright red. “Shiro put on your pants.”

“No, you have them.”

“Shiro PUT ON YOUR PANTS.”

“I’ll pass. I’m enjoying the breeze.”

“SHIRO.”

By the end of it, Shiro had glitter in places that hadn’t ever seen glitter before. He was beyond exhausted, and his garage would never be the same, but Keith came up to him holding two slices of pizza, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. Shiro knew that it was worth it.

“You’ve got a little glitter on your nose, Kogane.” Keith paused, immediately swiping at his face. Shiro cackled, and he jerked like he’d been smacked.

Keith stared at him, completely deadpanned as he rubbed a glittery hand down Shiro’s bare chest. Shiro swatted Keith away as they both collapsed into laughter. They leaned on each other in a heap, trying to ignore the fact that their pizza glittered too. 

The little rocket car looked as good as new, better in fact, a sleek racing masterpiece fit for a doctor-racer-astronaut. Shiro looked over at Keith and grinned. 

“We’ll have to make sure she parks it in the right place?”

“Right place?” Keith walked right into it and Shiro’s grin sharpened.

“You know, at a parking meteor.”

“Shiro, no.”

“You didn’t like that one? I can probably make a better joke if I planet.”

“Shiro,  _no_.”

“I get why you ruined my jeans, cuz my ass is out of this world.”

“SHIRO!” Keith groaned and picked off a pepperoni from his slice, flinging it at his friend in revenge. Nothing could dampen Shiro’s mood and even though Keith scowled, he couldn’t keep himself from laughing at the lame jokes. He was always so helpless when it came to Shiro’s stupid sense of humor. They leaned into each other’s space, completely at ease and so close that Shiro could feel Keith’s breath across his skin. He couldn’t help but shiver, the feeling bringing up too many memories.

It had only been once, but he could never forget. It was his last chance before graduation and everything would change, even if they promised each other that it wouldn’t. Shiro had pleaded with Keith to come out with him to a party, fortifying himself with enough alcohol to make the confession that had rattled around his chest for months. 

_I like you._

They’d both ended up drinking too much and the words were lost when Shiro closed the distance between them, kissing Keith until they both came up gasping for air.

He’d forgotten a lot of that night to a tipsy haze, but Shiro held on to tightly to one thing. The most important thing. He hadn’t been afraid. He’d been excited, nervous, out of his mind with hope, but never afraid. Keith looked at him like he held the stars, as he moved against him for another kiss and another and another, claiming Shiro with the same single-minded focus he reserved for beating his best time on the simulator, like he was a puzzle that Keith just had to solve. And Shiro would gladly give him anything.

_I want you._

_Don’t stop._

Laughing into Shiro’s lips until all Shiro could do was beg for more, touching him, wanting him. Then Keith doubled over and puked on his shoes. Shiro wasn’t sure if he laughed or cried, but Keith had pressed up against him, miserable and cranky and still insisting he was sober. Shiro was very much not, but he had the bright idea of driving them both home, as reckless as he was when he thought he could touch the stars. He thought he carried Keith home instead, but his memory was disjointed at best, and Shiro was pretty sure they spent too much time on the sidewalk, holding each other and laughing.

 _Stay._ He remembered, with Keith half-asleep, spread out on his bed like the most incredible offering, too out of it to even keep his eyes open. Shiro wanted to say yes. He’d wanted it more than anything. Instead, he pulled Keith’s blanket up to his chin, pulled off his shoes, put a bucket beside his bed and kissed his brow.

“In the morning.” Shiro promised, voice slurred but hopelessly earnest. “Ask me again in the morning, and we’ll have breakfast at noon, and too many pancakes, and I’ll never let go. I want to do this right.”

Looking back, it was probably a good thing he left when he did.

In the morning, he downed a fistful of aspirin and headed out to their favorite diner, ready to wrap his hands around a hot cup of coffee and try to feel human again. Even with the ache in the back of his head and the sourness in his stomach, Shiro couldn’t keep from smiling. He felt giddy, like he was ready to just float out of his seat and fly away. After all the half-confessions, the quiet wistful wondering, and the not-so-quiet awkward flirting that always seemed to blow up in his face, Keith had said yes.

Shiro could still feel the weight of him and the little hitching gasps as they explored each other cut off all too soon. That was fine, they were drunk and it would have been a mess. Shiro wanted to do this right, not some sloppy hookup but something more grounded in respect and trust. Maybe something that could last. He settled back into the booth to wait, ready to tell Keith everything.

And waited.

 _And waited_.

He flipped nervously through his phone, making up excuses as time ticked by. Half an hour late. An hour. Two. He sat so long that his back stuck to the plastic booth cushions and the waiters started to give him pitying looks. Shiro debated texting, trying not to seem too eager but worry finally winning out as he hit Keith’s number and let the phone ring. Keith could have been hurt somewhere or in trouble, something that kept him from showing up.

“Hey, how are you?” He asked too brightly when Keith answered with a grunt, trying to sound casual and utterly failing. “I guess breakfast’s out of the question?”

“That’s an understatement.” Keith’s voice sounded rough and exhausted. “Sorry about last night.”

Shiro felt his heart skip and his smile freeze in place, but his voice didn’t falter. “You don’t have to apologize.” There was nothing to apologize for. Shiro could never regret what they’d done or what he’d admitted out loud, did Keith?

“Yes I do, it was all a mistake. I’m really sorry it happened.” Keith said and Shiro felt the small cracks spider-webbing through his heart. “If I said anything last night, just forget it. I was drunk, I didn’t mean it.”

Shiro was shocked silent, unable to even force a fake laugh. His hand tightened around the phone as he dropped his head down, feeling like he was being crushed. Oh god, how could he have miscalculated so badly? They’d both had too much to drink, he’d just assumed…he’d taken advantage and Keith hadn’t wanted him. He’d fucked up, he’d ruined everything. Why did he ever think that he should try to push things any farther than friendship?

“If that’s what you want.” He said quietly, gearing up to apologize.

“Yeah, I’ll call you later.” The phone went dead as Keith hung up and Shiro set his on the table, trying to figure out how to breathe without breaking down. A tear streaked down his face and plopped on the tabletop, followed by another.

Everything fell apart, with Shiro too ashamed to meet Keith’s eyes and desperately trying to dredge up the strength to apologize to his face, and Keith deadset in pretending nothing had happened. Then there was Quinn. Then the accident. Then Mei.

Now Keith was in his life again, so sharp and so bright, Shiro knew there was no way he would come away unscathed. His chest felt too tight, like his ribs were trying to squeeze the air out of him, and Keith was so close, a splash of blue glitter in his hair and spilling across his brow. Shiro couldn’t remember the last time everything had felt so right. He refused to forget the last time he let everything fall apart.

With an easy laugh, he ducked under Keith’s arm, going for a slice of pizza. If he could jam enough grease down his throat, maybe he’d finally be able to calm down. “We have to leave some for Mei. I’m not cooking tonight.”

“I’m not the one who keeps stuffing my face!” Keith countered, always so eager to fight back, and he didn’t seem to notice when Shiro rolled away, under the pretense of giving the racer one final look over. Shiro had his old friend back. He couldn’t ask for anything more.

The doorbell rang, and both of them jumped to their feet. “Get that will ya? I need to put on a shirt.”

“And pants.” Keith said solemnly as Shiro burst out laughing and waved him towards the door.

“Maybe don’t mention that part to whoever’s there?”

“Depends on how nice you are to me.” Keith teased with a serious expression as Shiro shoved him towards the door. He reached it just as the person on the other side had decided they’d waited long enough and was trying to ring the doorbell as fast as they possibly could.

“Keith!”

Mei tackled him as soon as Keith opened the door and he stepped back in surprise, not quite expecting the enthusiastic greeting. He had to admit, he’d grown fond of her over the last week or so, especially when she reminded him so much of Shiro. She had his same sense of humor, the poor thing. She was doomed. He swung her up into his arms as Shiro paused in the doorway, pulling a clean t-shirt on but still covered in sparkles.

“Hey baby girl, how was your friend?”

“Good! I caught a bug THIS big, Autumn screamed.” She said proudly. “But then we chased her big brother with it and he screamed louder.”

“Awwww, I’m so proud of you.” He took her from Keith’s arm and planted a kiss on her forehead as she squirmed.

“You’re all sparkly!”

“Yup, Keith and I got a visit from the sparkle fairies while you were gone. You wanna see what else they did?”

“Yeah!”

Mei’s expression lit up, so eager to be drawn into another joke, but Keith watched as she faltered as soon as Shiro turned the corner. She must have realized where they were headed. Shiro was humming under his breath, unaware of the change and too excited to turn back now. He flicked on the lights to the garage.

The little car was perfect. Sleek, sparkly, and gracefully aerodynamic, with just a little more padding around the front bumper, it looked like it could take off there and then. The smell of paint and glue still lingered in the air, the culmination of all their hard work. Keith was so proud of what they’d done, but Mei’s face twisted in a look of horror, her hands tight in Shiro’s shirt.

“See, baby? Good as new, better even. There’s not a scratch on it.”

“No.” She shook her head, but the word was sharp and clear.

“But Mei, it’s-”

“No no no, I don’t want it. NO!” She screamed, squirming and wiggling in his grip, pushing at his face to get away from. Shiro looked scared, and that felt like a kick to the ribs. Keith took an unsteady step forward, his hands outstretched, but Shiro was already lowering Mei to the ground. As soon as she could, she took off running. Then the sound of her bedroom door slamming echoed through the house, and Shiro slumped against the wall, his shoulders hunched in defeat.

“Shiro?” Keith started uncertainly, but Shiro turned away, hiding his face as he scrubbed his hands over it once, twice. He was putting himself together, compartmentalizing with the same terrible efficiency that always left Keith in awe.

“I have to talk to her.”

“Shiro-” Keith called after him, but he’d already left the garage.

He stopped outside of Mei’s door and knocked, listening for any answer before carefully creaking it open. “Hey baby girl, can we talk?”

Mei sat on her bed, wrapped up in her comforter and hugging one of her stuffed animals tightly. She scowled as he entered, putting on her best pout as Shiro sat down next to her on the bed with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Mei. I thought you’d like having your rocket fixed.”

“I don’t! I don’t want it anymore, I don’t want to race ever again.” Tears spilled down her cheeks and her whole body gave a sharp sob. Shiro wrapped his arms around his niece, pulling her close.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I know what happened was scary, you don’t have to do it anymore, it’s okay.” He murmured, trying to sooth her. Shiro let her cry herself out, draining away all her wordless hurt and frustration before he tried to ask her what happened. “You don’t like racing anymore?”

“No! I don’t know.” She answered, her voice quavering. “Everybody saw me crash.”

“Who cares what everybody else thinks, the only thing that matters is how  _you_  feel.”

Mei sniffed and looked up at him, her dark eyes wet with tears. “Is that what you thought when you crashed too, Uncle Shiro?”

His voice caught in his throat, and Shiro was pointedly aware of the way his prosthetic remained open by the small of her back. There was no easy way to answer her. It wasn’t just Mei. Every time he spoke to someone, he wondered how much was too much to tell. Therapy had helped, and his support group more than anything helped him to understand that the answer didn’t always have to be the same.

Now, he combed his fingers through his niece’s hair, wished he could protect her from the rest of the world. It had already taken too much from her, and left her with a shoddy substitute. She had his sister’s smile. He missed her so damn much.

“A little. Mostly I didn’t want to do it anymore because I was scared.” He admitted. “And I didn’t want to go back. I was so scared of failing again. I didn’t want to try. I was scared I would lose more.”

Mei was scared, and Shiro was sorry. He kissed her brow, cradling her closer once more until she could tuck her face into his chest. “Then they wouldn’t let me.”

Then they wouldn’t let him. Physically unfit. Mentally unsound. The list went on and on, and Shiro did nothing to fight it. Maybe he could have found a way to stay in the program, one way or another. Now his only connection to space were the stars that decorated Mei’s bedroom.

“If you want to stop, that’s okay. I’m proud of you. I’m always going to be proud of you, and nothing can change that.”

Mei didn’t answer, just turned to wrap her arms around her uncle and held on until she didn’t feel so scared. She patted his metal arm and Shiro held his breath. “It’s okay to be scared?”

“It’s always okay to be scared, everyone feels that way sometimes.” He said, ruffling her hair slightly. “How about we go get something to eat. Keith bought us a pizza, but he got a little glitter in it.” Mei gave a quiet giggle, just like Shiro hoped she would.

“You mean he’s the sparkle fairy?”

“Yup, look at what he did to me!” He bent so she could see the blue flecks in his hair. “We’re going to have to think of a way to get him back for that, cuz we’re the best at pranks. Does that sound good?”

She gave him a watery grin and nodded, feeling better as she took his hand and let Shiro lead her back to the living room. Keith gave them both a self-conscious half-wave, awkward and apologetic but before he could say a word, Mei leveled an accusatory finger at him.

“ _You’re_  the sparkle fairy.”

Keith looked at Shiro in helpless confusion as the pair burst into laughter. “I’m not?”

“Don’t fight it, bro.” Shiro wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders, pulling him in to a family hug. “When she makes up her mind, you can’t win.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

Keith stretched out on his hotel bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how much longer he’d be renting the little room. He wasn’t ready to leave, but he couldn’t stay in limbo forever. If he was going to stay in town, he would need to find something a little bit more permanent than this place. It was easier to keep one foot out the door in case he needed to bolt at any time, but would it be so bad if he didn’t run?

He’d come back to his hometown looking for a new start, not really thinking he’d find one but unsure of where else to go. It wasn’t  _too_  far from work, though he’d taken a leave of absence for the last few months to try and pull himself back together. It was just supposed to be a temporary delay of the inevitable before he had to go back and face the way his life had fallen apart, but he’d found an unexpected second chance.

With a sigh, he stretched back on the sheets, still damp from the shower. No matter how hard he scrubbed, he couldn’t seem to get the stray pieces of glitter that stuck stubbornly to his skin and they made him smile whenever they caught the light. He’d been doing that a lot lately, smiling without even realizing it. It had been a long time since he felt so at ease.

Life with Quinn hadn’t been terrible, they’d really truly loved each other once, but everything had been a competition. They’d pushed each other, infuriated each other, it made things burn all the hotter between them. For a while, Keith had enjoyed it. It was a welcome break from an infatuation he had to leave behind and it was nice to feel wanted. It just couldn’t last. In all the years they’d been together, Keith had never once let down his walls. It would have been a vulnerability and neither of them had ever wanted to be vulnerable around each other. They pushed without support, they talked without listening. It wasn’t a wonder it had fallen apart, but Keith still felt like a failure.

In just a week, Shiro had carefully pulled down the facade he’d built and never once ridiculed him or used his weaknesses against him. He’d even exposed his own personal, private fears too, trusting Keith enough to believe he’d never hurt him. Keith couldn’t promise that would be true, but he wanted to do everything he could to try.

He rolled over in bed and snagged his phone from the end table, scrolling through the contacts. He called before he even noticed the time.

“Shiro? Sorry, I know it’s late.”

“Keith ‘ssumthin wrong?” Shiro slurred, sleep rough and husky, and Keith had to bite his tongue. All it would take was one little ‘yes’ and Shiro would be on his way. He knew that as well as he knew his own name, and it took him too long to find a good reason to behave.

“Nothing.” Keith said, scrubbing a hand over his face. He had the good sense to be embarrassed, but not enough of it to hang up.

“It’s ‘kay,” Shiro said around a yawn, and Keith heard him shuffling to turn on the lights, and the way he swallowed around his water bottle. Keith had seen every room in his tiny bungalow except Shiro’s, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to call. See how the kid was doing. She was quiet at dinner. I’m sorry, about the racer. I didn’t think it through.”

Shiro’s laugh was warm on the line. Keith kind of hated him for it. It was much too late for him to drudge up any sort of resistance. “You have a really bad habit of apologizing for things that aren’t your fault, Keith. She’ll be okay. I think. I hope. I wish there was a way around it. She was so excited about the Derby before all this.”

“I didn’t mean to make her upset, I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Nah, it was good. It’s okay if she doesn’t want to do it, but it’s good to give her the choice.” Shiro muffled another yawn and Keith could swear he heard the bed springs creak. It made his mouth dry suddenly, hands twitching in some half-remembered memory of Shiro’s skin.

“Why do you always do that?” He asked, almost whispering the words.

“Do what?”

Keith closed his eyes, trying to focus on the way he could hear Shiro breathing. It was almost more intimate here when they were apart and all he had to hold on to was Shiro’s voice. “Why do you always take the blame for everything I do? Sometimes I’m the one who messes up, Shiro. You have to accept that.”

“Trust me, I know all about messing up. Mei is going to be okay, she really likes you.”

“I’m not talking about Mei.” Keith turned off the light in his hotel room, letting the shadows settle over him so there would be nothing but him and the pale glow from his cellphone. “It’s late, I should let you get back to sleep. Never mind, I’m just in a weird mood tonight.”

“You can tell me anything.” Shiro was reassuring and solid, everything Keith never had in his life and it would be so easy to hold on to him.

“How do you stand it when you lose everything you work for? You were always better at everything than I was and even with everything that happened, you’ve got this life and a family now. I just screwed everything up.”

“Keith.” Shiro started, beseeching him, like he could calm Keith with just his voice. Maybe he could if Keith let him, but in that moment, all he wanted was Shiro to be there beside him.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Keith barreled on. “What you went through was terrible, and I’m not- I don’t even have that excuse. I don’t have any excuse. I cared about him, and I wanted to make it work. I still fucked up. Wanting things isn’t enough. I don’t even know if we did everything we could, but he’s not here now. He hasn’t been here for a long time.”

He lapsed into a tired silence, swiping angrily at his eyes. He hadn’t meant to unload so much on Shiro, and he wasn’t sure how to hang up now.

As if Shiro had heard his thoughts, a quiet voice came through the line. “Keith, don’t go. Please.”

“Fuck.” Keith let out a wet sob, turning to hide his face against his pillow, even if there was no one to see him.

“Hey, you’re going to be okay.” Shiro always believed in the best, even when things were at their worst and Keith had no idea how he did it. God, he was such a mess in comparison.

“How did everything get so screwed up? I tried, I really did and I still ended up alone. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

“That makes two of us.” Shiro’s voice was soothing even though the phone and Keith wrapped his arms around himself like he could imagine holding on to someone else. “But you’re not alone. You’ve got me, you always do. No matter what happens or what bumps we’ve had along the way, you’ve got me the same way that I’ve got you. Sometimes I feel just as lost, but we can do this together.”

“Together.” Keith didn’t feel like he had any right to that. He’d dropped in on Shiro unannounced after not being there for him after his accident, plopping his own problems in the middle of Shiro struggling to raise a child all by himself. It wasn’t fair, but Shiro wouldn’t let Keith blame himself.

“I mean it. I miss you so much, Keith, having you back… sometimes things can be really overwhelming, but it’s better with you. And I’ll be there to help you too, I promise.”

Keith sniffed into the phone feeling raw and vulnerable, but Shiro always was so gentle. “I want to stay too. You’re really sure you want me to?”

“I never should’ve let you go.”

It felt like all the wind had been punched out of Keith, a ripple coursing through his nerves, all the way down to his toes, leaving him numb.

“I’m sorry.” Shiro said, drawling out his words, hesitating the way he did when he was nervous, and Keith had no idea why _he_ had reason to be. Then his words tumbled out in a rush, like he thought Keith would hang up before he got the chance to say them all. “I never apologized properly for what happened, that one night. When we. You probably don’t even remember.”

Shiro cleared his throat. It was a strained sound. Keith’s mind only went to one night, and his mouth went dry. “You don’t have to do that.” He tried, but Keith wasn’t entirely sure he said the words, or if they just banged around his head.

“I screwed things up with a silly crush,” Shiro said. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward between us, and the things we did, I did- I’m sorry Keith. If I’d just asked you out to breakfast like a regular person, well. We wouldn’t be here.”

“Breakfast. You were-?”

“At TJ’s, waited for two whole hours like a sap.” Shiro laughed, warm and fond, like the memories from so long ago couldn’t touch him. It was good one of them was fine. “Don’t worry, I ate your stacks for you.”

“I-I didn’t…” Keith tried to get the words out, but it was like he’d forgotten how to speak.

“I’m glad you’re here. We have another chance to be friends and I’m not going to screw it up, I promise.” Shiro paused like he was listening, lowering his voice. “I think Mei’s awake, I should go check on her, I’m sorry. Are you- are you okay?”

“Yeah, go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Keith felt himself saying. “Thanks for answering the phone.”

“Always.”

The line clicked silent and the glow faded from his phone, leaving Keith alone in the dark. Oh god, why didn’t he remember? Shiro had liked him, Shiro had  _wanted_  him and he’d drank too much like an idiot and messed the whole thing up. He’d been blaming himself for so long for messing up what they had when it turned out Shiro had been feeling the same way.

He gave a loud sob, letting the phone flop back to the mattress as tears coursed down his cheeks. Shiro waited for him and Keith had left him there. He couldn’t help but drown in the regret of what could have been and the chances that they’d missed. A slightly hysterical edge hooked each breath until Keith wasn’t sure he was laughing or crying.

_Another chance_. That was what Shiro had said and Keith curled on his side, the heels of his hands pressed against his eyes as he shook.  _Another chance_. Everything in their lives had led them back to the beginning, older and wiser, though Keith wasn’t so sure about that last one. They were battered by the last few years, the shiny idol worship wearing off to reveal the cracks beneath. But they were here together, both ready to start again and looking for someone to hold on to.

Keith wiped his eyes and exhaled a shuddering breath, letting exhaustion claim him.

_Another chance_. This time, Keith wasn’t going to waste it.

 

* * *

 

Mornings were always terrible at the Shirogane household. Neither Shiro nor Mei particularly enjoyed them. There was a grand total of six alarm clocks set, and even though there was a time in his life that Shiro regularly woke at five in the morning to run laps, that never made getting out of bed any easier. There was breakfast to devour and clothes to put on backwards (then more clothes to put on properly), and he didn’t notice anything was different until he checked the time on his phone.

Keith’s message was a simple thing, sent at three in the morning and tucked under all Shiro’s snooze button alarms.

_‘Can you an mei meet for dinner? I have an idea’_

“Hey baby girl,” Shiro said, putting on his seat belt as he got behind the wheel of his Toyota. “Keith wants to meet us for dinner. What do you say?”

But it was too late. With her head tucked against the window, Mei was sleeping like a log in the back seat, letting out little grunty snores when she exhaled. Shiro sighed, but it sounded too fond even to his own ears. Besides, there was no doubt that they would go. He promised Keith another chance, and it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, one he’d been burdened by for so long, he’d almost forgotten it was there. If he could, he’d show up to every dinner Keith invited him to. With surprises like these, Shiro might just learn to like his mornings.

 

* * *

 

Burger Joint was a local establishment that served burgers bigger than Shiro’s head and milkshakes they could drown in. Keith was already there when they arrived, holding two bags of take out and a grin that Shiro would call shy on anyone else. Mei immediately launched herself at him.

“Keeeith!”

She collided with an oof, and Keith lifted both bags into the air, leaving his belly exposed for her to smoosh into. It made Shiro feel ridiculously proud.

“Kid, watch it,” he said, trying to sound stern, but he only made Mei giggle. Which may have been his goal all along. “I figured we could eat at the park tonight.”

“Like a picnic? We get to go on a picnic!” The little girl danced around happily as Shiro took the bags from Keith with a curious smile.

“Exactly, like a picnic. C’mon.” He took Mei’s hand and led her towards the parking lot, to stop in front of a large gleaming hoverbike that made the little girl gasp in surprise. She turned wide eyed to Keith and looked back at Shiro who nodded his permission before squealing and running around it to get a better look. She ran her hands over the surface, peering inside, and practically jumping up and down with excitement.

“I didn’t know you still had one of these.” Shiro said, leaning comfortably into Keith’s space. “It brings back a lot of memories.”

“It’s just about the only thing I still have these days. I thought maybe Mei would like it if we rode the bike to the park?”

“Can we, Uncle Shiro? Please please please, can we?” She chirruped, tugging on Shiro’s arm until he relented and Keith pulled extra helmets out of the cockpit.

“Okay, but only if you put your helmet on tight and stay strapped in, okay? And no touching any of the buttons.” He warned, but Mei was already cheering, climbing face first into the hoverbike as Shiro shook his head.

“This is your plan?” Shiro asked softly, breath whispering against Keith’s ear just enough to make him shiver.

“It’s my way of making up for yesterday. For a lot of things. It’s worth a try, right?” Keith looked so determined that Shiro chuckled and set the bags in the cockpit, lifting Mei into her seat and helping her strap on her helmet.

Shiro swung himself into the back as Keith settled into the pilot’s seat, his back pressed against Shiro’s chest. When Shiro’s arms snaked around his waist, Keith couldn’t stop the full body shiver of excitement, revving up the engines in a burst of adrenaline as the hoverbike lifted off the ground. “Everybody hold on tight!” He called as Mei shrieked, clinging on to her uncle as they took off.

Then she laughed, laughed and shrieked as they weaved and turned towards the park. It was a short ride, and Keith knew just how to take advantage of his angles, drawing out the game as best as he could without tiring out his audience. He just didn’t know how much longer he could take. Every time Mei screamed, Shiro’s grip tightened, just a little. His hands were warm across Keith’s belly, laid flat over his shirt and treacherously steady. And when Keith got him to laugh, too, it really felt like he was soaring.

They came to a stop at the park, and Mei immediately got off, jumping to her feet and collapsing on the ground. Shiro tensed, but she was laughing, rolling across the grass as she stretched her hands in the air, trying to keep as many of her nerves racing as she could without being overwhelmed.

“AGAIN! Keith, Keith, let’s go again!” She yelled at the setting sun. She still hadn’t removed her helmet, but Keith could barely focus because Shiro hadn’t removed his hands yet.

“Oh my god,” Shiro laughed. “Oh my god!”

Keith turned in his chair, just enough that he could see him. Beneath his helmet, Shiro was wearing the biggest smile Keith had seen on him since he arrived, and it made his stomach flip. It made him want to be completely reckless. He moved closer, slowly pulling the helmet off of Shiro’s head, and Shiro must have figured out what he was doing, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

He reached out to cup Shiro’s face, leaning in to try and steal that smile right off of his lips. Slow and careful, drawn together and Keith unable to resist.

“UNCLE SHIRO!” Mei smacked her little hands against the side of the hovercar and Shiro jerked back in surprise, trying to cover his fluster with a murmured apology as he handed the bags to his niece. Mei almost tipped over as she was loaded down with hamburgers and fries. She yelled happily, running off to go set up the picnic and Keith mentally cursed himself.

He jumped out of the hoverbike, tossing his helmet in the cockpit and trailed after the pair. Mei had barely waited for Shiro to spread his jacket on the ground as a makeshift blanket before she was shoving fistfuls of french fries into her face.

“Remember to chew, okay?” Shiro laughed, flopping down on the grass next to her and sneaking a look at Keith who knelt down to pull the rest of the food out of the bags.

“Immff mmmmf.” The little girl grunted and Shiro rolled his eyes.

“Thank you for doing this.” He knocked shoulders with Keith and handed him a burger.

“No problem, I just thought Mei might like to ride on a real racer. Did you tell her that we used to race hoverbikes back in the Garrison?”

“You  _did_?” Mei’s eyes went round as she stared at her uncle, trying to grapple with the thought he might have at one point been cool.

“Sometimes, it wasn’t like real racing.”

“Are you kidding?” Keith grinned. “Shiro always followed the rules and was the perfect student, but on the weekends, we’d take the bikes out to the desert and show those town kids what they were missing. There was this one time that Shiro took a short cut through this canyon and almost crashed, but at the last possible second, swung the whole bike on its side and slipped through these two rocks without getting a scratch on it.”

“No way!”

Shiro ruffled Mei’s hair and gave Keith a look. “He’s just exaggerating, it wasn’t really like that.”

“Don’t listen to your uncle, he just doesn’t want to brag. He was one of the best pilots the Garrison ever had and sometimes, he relaxed enough to have fun with it. Could never beat me though, I was always faster.”

“Yeah, I was always chasing after you.” Shiro said, and something about the tone of his voice made Keith beam. Mei chose that moment to reach the bottom of her drink, slurping so loudly, it was like she was trying to inhale her straw. Without missing a beat, Shiro offered her his soda.

“Did you stop because of the crash?”

Kids had a way of cutting through to the heart of the matter, and Shiro sneaked a glance at Keith without having to think twice about it. In an instant, he knew Keith would follow his lead. Shiro just wished he knew where he was going. “Every pilot crashes sometimes, even the good ones. Especially the good ones. They’re the ones who are always trying to do more than what they should. Sometimes, it makes you want to stop, and that’s okay.”

Mei didn’t say anything, but she hunched over her drink, staring pointedly out at Keith’s hoverbike. Shiro thought that would be the end of it. Not all endings were happy ones. They both knew too much about that. Then Keith reached out, gently squeezing her shoulder, and Mei turned to him almost too eagerly.

“Everyone crashes,” Keith repeated firmly. “Every pilot knows that you don’t always land easy, and sometimes people get hurt, or scared. But that doesn’t make all the good things about flying go away, and if something’s worth doing, it’s worth taking the risk for. A really smart guy once told me that it’s okay to feel lost, as long as you’ve got someone with you, and Shiro and I will be here, no matter what happens.”

Mei chewed thoughtfully on her burger and tucked herself against her uncle, but Keith only had eyes for Shiro. “Whatever you decide is okay, but make sure you know what you want. You don’t always get a second chance and when you do, you can’t waste it.” He tangled his fingers with Shiro’s, taking his hand in a silent promise of his own.

“Are you going to kiss?” Mei asked suddenly and both men sputtered.

“What? No! No. Eat your hamburger.” Shiro flushed to the very tips of his ears and smushed Mei’s face into her burger as she laughed. Keith laughed until his stomach hurt, watching the two steal each other’s fries.

He didn’t let go of Shiro’s hand the entire night.

By the time they returned home, the moon was bright overhead and Mei was half-asleep in Shiro’s arms. The excitement had worn her out and after their last hoverbike ride, she’d curled up between them as Shiro and Keith stretched out the night as long as they could, neither one wanting it to end.

“Thank you for this.” Shiro murmured quietly. “For everything. It was such a nice thing to do.”

“It was the least I could do after messing up. I know that it can be scary to go after what you love, especially when it goes wrong the first time.”

Keith could see Shiro smiling in the darkness as he looked up to the sky. “I think you’ve more than made up for everything, Keith.”

“Not yet, but if you let me, I’ll do my best.”

Keith stared down a course he’d wanted to follow for longer than he could remember. He’d never used to hesitate. He didn’t know how to fly at anything other than full speed, but he remembered what it was like to slowly learn to hate what he once cared for so dearly. He knew how it felt to fall out of love now, knew how it would feel to start seeing his partner as an enemy and threat. Even if he didn’t think it would happen with Shiro, he knew it was possible. He could lose all this.

But he wanted again. For the first time in a long time, it felt like he was finally taking a much needed step forward.

“No matter what happens, I want to stay your friend.” Shiro whispered.

Keith exhaled deeply, and squeezed Shiro’s hand as tight as he could. He’d made a promise before, one just as important, and one he’d always meant to keep. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, but he wanted to try. “Me, too, Shiro.” He admitted softly. “Me, too.”

Keith watched Shiro carry his little girl home for the night, and thought about the possibility that one day, he wouldn’t have to drive away.

 

* * *

 

Shiro hadn’t had a good reason to hum in a long time, but he couldn’t seem to stop. The house was dark, but every shadow was familiar, and there was always something about coming home that put him at ease. He left his shoes in the middle of the hall, thought about reading in his room, or putting on a movie for a little while. It felt like he had too much energy to burn, and it didn’t matter what he did. Mei was sound asleep.

Or so he thought.

“Shiro?”

He froze, just as he was tucking her into bed, but she barely shifted, just grunted and rolled over. “What is it, baby girl?” He asked, taking off her shoes and socks, and undoing her ponytails. She had enough coordination to wiggle into her pajamas without his help, but it was a close thing.

“Do you still think about racing?” She asked blearily, and this time, Shiro didn’t feel any bitterness in his smile. He had his bad days, days where he a whole lot more than just think about space, and flying, and the opportunities he’d left behind. Shiro figured he’d have them until the end of time, but now, there were more good ones than not.

“All the time.” He admitted softly. He wasn’t sure she heard him. She’d gone still again, face pressed into the pillow she hugged with all her tired might. He kissed Mei goodnight, but just as he was about to leave her room, she spoke up again.

“I think I want to try again.” Mei said. “I wanna fly, too.”

Shiro lingered in her doorway, closing his right hand, like he could still imagine how Keith fit between metal and plastic. The memories flooded back, the last time they’d seen each other before they’d drifted apart.

_“It’s not too late to back out now. I can be at the border in under an hour.”_

Keith hadn’t known how badly Shiro had wanted what he couldn’t have, how long he’d waited. It had been a shot through the heart when Keith called, after months of silence and stilted conversations. They were barely better than the holiday greetings that always felt too polite. Then Keith found him again, because of Quinn, because he’d found someone to make him happy and needed his best friend to stand beside him. Keith had never had many people, and Shiro refused to be on the long list of those who let him down.

Shiro hadn’t liked Quinn, but he didn’t need to, because Quinn made Keith happier than he had ever seen him. And Shiro loved him enough to be happy for them both.

“Yeah, and what am I supposed to tell Quinn?” He’d passed it all off as a joke, smiling to hide his broken heart and telling himself this was happiness. Keith had made his choice, whatever hang-ups were his alone and Shiro would make sure they never ever impacted Keith’s relationship. He could be the friend Keith wanted him to be and someday, he’d be able to move on too. All he had to do was get passed this one moment without shattering.

“Nothing,” Keith had said, never knowing how much Shiro wished it had been anything but a joke. “You’re coming with me.”

So Shiro had done what a friend should do. He clasped his arm around Keith and let him go with a smile and as much support as he could give.  “Come on, you’re going to be great. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

He’d walked away after that and thought it was over. He’d accepted it, let the grief and jealousy run its course until it died away and he could take the next step forward. Shiro looked at his hand and smiled, reliving the memory of Keith leaning closer, lips parted as if…as if…

“I think I want to try again too, baby girl.”


	5. Chapter 5

Change was hard.

Mei had insisted that she wanted to start on the smallest hill in the neighborhood and sat too long at the top before pushing herself off. Fear was an obstacle and she faced it with grim determination and a bedazzled helmet. Shiro wished he could go back when fear was simple, more an exhilarating challenge to be conquered than a crushing, complicated mess. For the entire short ride, he felt like he held his breath the entire time, but she landed at the bottom of the hill and cheered. Keith and Shiro cheered with her.

Complicated or not, Shiro pushed himself off the edge of his hill too. They started small, the invitations to dinner or to join them on family outings were always open. He and Mei were a package deal, but Keith kept coming with his worried little smile and awkward, well-meaning affection. It was clear he had no idea how to handle kids, but Mei adored him. Shiro knew exactly how she felt.

It was nice how easily Keith slipped into both of their lives like a missing piece they’d never realized was gone and Shiro didn’t even know how to thank him for all he’d done. But there were still moments when Shiro’s heart pounded against his chest when Keith brushed against his side, or when Keith slipped his hand into Shiro’s without a word. They’d conquered the small hills and the easy steps, renewing their friendship over the past few weeks and building the scaffold of something more. Shiro was sure he wasn’t misreading things, but he’d done it before and he wasn’t going to make the same mistake.

Now it was time to take a deep breath and see if he was brave enough to take a bigger risk.

Slowly.

Right now Keith was fat and full and draped all over him. He might have given Shiro a hard time about his cooking, but even he could admit that Shiro made a mean mac'n'cheese casserole. Splayed half on the Shirogane couch and half on top of his gracious host, Keith was pretty sure he was never going to walk again. Beside him, Mei was absently rubbing her belly and burping every time she felt particularly round. There had been chocolate milk to top it all off, and it had been Keith’s bright idea to bring home those store-bought cupcakes. Keith may or may not be able to feel his feet.

“The secret is in the cream cheese,” Shiro said proudly, and Keith rolled over and groaned, tucking his face into Shiro’s thigh and praying for death. Mei’s tiny feet were digging into his calf. It was not comfortable. Keith still wasn’t moving. He let out another pained grunt, and suddenly there were hands in his hair, gentle and teasing, and everything felt a thousand times better.

“You should’ve quit after the third serving.” Shiro had no right to sound as warm as he did while sounding that smug.

“Your face should’ve quit.” Keith grumbled unkindly, and on the other end of the couch, Mei giggled her support. It was a lot to take in. Shiro had to look away, swallowing down a lump in his throat, but he never stopped raking his fingers through Keith’s hair, fascinated by the way his bangs fell over his eyes. His mouth went dry, secure in the realization that he was going to do something terrible.

“My face never quits.” And then. “It’s getting late.”

Beside him, Keith sighed, and a ripple moved down the long line of his body. It looked too much like disappointment. Then Shiro flipped everything on its head. “You should spend the night.”

For a moment, neither of them moved, left cautious and uncertain as a new corner of their game opened. As always, Keith was the first to take a step.

“Only if you want.” Keith said, far too casually to compensate for the way his pulse started racing. He stretched back against Shiro like it didn’t matter, trying hard to convince them both that there hadn’t been a sudden spark of tension between them. 

Shiro played along, he always did. He patted Keith gently on his belly and scooped Mei up in his arms as the little girl protested softly. “Let me get her to bed and I’ll get some blankets. I’ll be right back.” He promised as Keith had to roll forward to let Shiro wiggle out from beneath him.

It didn’t take long until Mei was clean, teen brushed, and tucked in for the night. Bedtime was always so much easier when she ran out of energy to protest, some nights it involved too much chasing until Shiro was the one who gave up first. He padded back to the couch, his arms full of blankets as Keith pulled Shiro unceremoniously down beside him.

“Stay up with me for just a little while? We deserve some adult time. Maybe we’ll even watch something where they  _swear.”_ Keith teased. Shiro laughed, but his hands felt big and clumsy. Keith had stripped down to his under shirt, and shadows played across the deep valley of his clavicle. Shiro’s mouth wanted to join them. It was the most devastating temptation, but he was weighed down by faded Hello Kitty sheets, and Keith wore the softest smile.

This could be a mistake, but it felt like the sweetest surrender. 

Shiro wrapped them both in the same shared blanket burrito and cuddled close as they flicked on the television. It didn’t matter what was on, the only thing on Shiro’s mind was how close Keith’s body pressed against his and how good it felt to have him here, like he belonged.

“This isn’t bad, is it?” Shiro dared softly, and Keith shook his head, so close his hair tickled Shiro’s chin.

“Maybe I can do it again.”

They never did make it to bed.

Mei found them in the morning, drooling on each other where they’d fallen asleep on the couch, still wrapped on in each other while the tv flickered quietly. She decided to let them sleep a whole extra three minutes before hunger won out and she canon-balled on top of them, demanding cereal.

By the day of the race, it had almost become a tradition. Shiro told himself that it was just more practical if they all stayed over so they could leave on time in the morning, but he always looked forward to falling asleep in each other’s arms, soft and lazy.

Unfortunately, this morning, Keith already had his arms full.

“Keith, where’s my cape!” Mei ran into him, completely oblivious to how he was helping Shiro roll her heavy little car off his Toyota, and that Keith might have never seen the glittering monstrosity she planned to wear to victory. Keith let out a pained oof, just barely managing to sidestep being crushed at the hands of a bright blue box car, but Mei had already taken off, frantically searching for the most important part of her victory.

“You okay down there?” Shiro laughed, jumping down so he could smooth Keith’s ruffled shirt. Little bits of glitter went everywhere, and Shiro may have been intentionally making it worse. “Hey sparkle fairy, got some on your nose.”

“I’ll get some on your nose.” Keith tried really hard to scowl at him, and when that didn’t work, he started flicking his shirt at Shiro, getting sparkles everywhere, and Shiro squealed as loudly as his niece. It was terrible and awful, and Shiro wouldn’t stop laughing.

“You guys, quit joking around.” Mei stomped, her tiny hands on her tiny hips, her face scrunched up like she was going to cry, but it was already too late. Shiro had draped himself over Keith, the most annoying sort of blanket, and he regretted the moment he pulled away. He ran his fingers through Keith’s hair; it was the worst sort of apology, especially since he made sure to get sparkles everywhere.

“Can you find her cape, Keith? She can’t drive without it.” Shiro said, seriously. “We have to get checked in.”

“Of course,” Keith replied in the same tone, but it wasn’t as impressive when he shone every time he caught sunlight.

Shiro straightened his Team Sparkle t-shirt and even though Keith was wearing a matching one, he noticed it didn’t look quite as good as it did on Shiro. Not that it was a surprise. The thin t-shirt clung to Shiro’s muscles as he moved, riding up in the back just slightly to reveal a thin swatch of pale, scarred skin. Just enough that the other parents would notice. Or was that Keith’s jealousy getting the better of him again?

He forced his face to un-scowl and dug through the Toyota until he found Mei’s cape. She grabbed it without even a thank you, tearing off towards the starting line as Shiro followed after, hefting the little rocket car in his arms. Keith watched them go with a funny feeling in his stomach, a weird sort of pride for the little family that had taken him in and made him feel like he was a part of their lives.

Some little voice inside of him whispered that it could be like this forever. This really could be the family he’d been wishing for his entire life, ready and willing to welcome him in. Keith knew he was getting ahead of himself, but the little voice inside was a really nice one to hear. Not so much with the one that actually spoke to him.

“Team Sparkle? I’m almost surprised, but you never did have much fashion sense, dork.” A too familiar voice drawled and Keith stiffened like someone had poured ice down his spine. “I never thought I’d catch you dead at a place like this. You were never the kid-friendly type. “

Quinn looked good. Nice shirt, pants. Keith never appreciated what came into picking them, but he knew his ex-husband looked good in them. He was wearing the aftershave that Keith knew he used to impress people, and it still made something in his gut twist. But the cold bitterness in his eyes made it clear that he hadn’t had Keith in mind for any of this.

Then Quinn turned, making a show of letting his eyes drag across Shiro’s frame, and whistled long and low in exaggerated appreciation. “Then again, for a piece of ass like that, you’d be willing to fake it for a while.”

It was like a switch had been flipped inside Keith, and he hissed, standing in front of his ex and leveling him with a cold stare. He was being terribly obvious and he knew it, but all he could think about was somehow keeping Shiro out of this. Even if that ship had sailed long ago. “What the Hell are you doing here?”

“Careful Keith, someone might be listening.” Quinn said, disdain spilling into his mock-concern. “Did you come all the way over here to finally fuck him out of your system?”

Of course Quinn knew exactly how to get under his skin, that was their thing after all. They’d fight instead of talk, picking away at each other until one of them exploded and then using that anger to fuel sex. Keith knew all of Quinn’s tricks by now, but that didn’t mean he could avoid them. “You don’t get to talk about him like that.”

“Oh no? I figure that I’ve heard about him so much over the last few years that I earned it. It’s no surprise you went running to him the first chance you got. Looks like the poor ‘newly single’ thing paid off for you. Is he as good a lay as you always hoped he was? He looks like he’d give you a real workout. You and every lonely, desperate soccer mom and house husband making eyes on him.” Quinn’s voice dropped to a low, traitorous whisper. “How many do you think hot single dad has banged already?”

“Shut up!” Keith clenched his hands into fists, ready to take a swing and knowing that was exactly what Quinn wanted. “He’s a good man, he doesn’t take advantage and I  _didn’t_ just run to him.” In the back of his mind, Keith knew he didn’t have to explain anything to his ex, but somehow, infuriatingly, Quinn’s opinions about him still mattered. There used to be a time where his wicked smile made Keith’s pulse race in the best way. 

Now he hated it.

“You’re just mad because when I had you, I didn’t want you.”

Almost as much as he hated to see it go.

There was so much Keith noticed in the flicker of emotion that darkened Quinn’s gaze, and an old rush of relief and guilt swelled through his veins when he knew he’d hit his mark. They’d been separated for over a year before Quinn had the good sense to file for divorce, but before that, they’d been inseparable, lost in the rush of building a new life together and then slowly watching it fall apart. But Keith never wanted to apologize.

“Is that what I had to do to get you to want a family? Be the one you never got to fuck?” Quinn snarled, wicked and mean.

“Or you could’ve tried caring about anyone but yourself-”

“Or kidnapped some kid and made you deal with it?”

“Keep Mei out of this!”

They weren’t yelling, not yet, but enough about their encounter was drawing attention in a sleepy town’s gossip mill. Quinn was breathing hard, his hands balled into fists, and Keith knew what it was like to have him pressed against him, angry and spitting but moving with the most dizzying grace. Quinn took a step back, looking drawn and unhappy, his mouth pinched in a thing line, but an uneasy silence fell between them.

Quinn broke it first. “If he’s not sick of them, give Shiro my condolences. What happened to Ayame was a tragedy.”

“I-I will.” Anger fizzled and died away into a dull ache as he crossed his arms protectively over his chest. It hadn’t worked and it hurt, it might hurt for the rest of his life, but he couldn’t hold on to the bitterness and hope to move forward. He’d had to let go of Shiro once to try and have a life, he’d have to do the same with Quinn. Keith was old enough now to know it wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only chance they had to find something better and they both deserved it. They both should have a chance to be happy. “You’re here with someone?”

Quinn’s eyes flickered over to the group of proud parents helping their children to the starting line and Keith could see the mistrust and anxiety cross his face, as if he didn’t know how much to reveal about his life. Finally, Quinn nodded, not giving any more away. Keith couldn’t blame him, they always used personal details more as weapons than as common ground.

With a deep breath to steady his nerves, Keith forced himself into a less confrontational stance. Shiro would have been proud of that and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the thought. Being patient instead of lashing out immediately had never been his strongest skill, but he tried and he was getting better at it. “I’m sorry for how things ended, Quinn. I’m glad you’re in a better place.”

Keith watched that suspicion sharpen Quinn’s face again, trying to find the hidden insult in his words and knew that was how their whole lives together had been. “Same. Have fun with your beefcake, hope it was worth it.” His ex couldn’t help but throw in one last barb, but it just made Keith smile wider, infuriating Quinn when he didn’t respond with his own attack.

_Yeah, actually it’s so worth it._

He knew Quinn was watching when he walked away, but Keith could honestly say he didn’t care because Shiro was waiting for him.

Shiro wasn’t as obvious when he stared. There was the slightest flicker at the corner of his eyes, but he didn’t turn away from the woman he was talking to until Keith was close enough to reach out and touch him. He excused himself with a laugh, and Keith didn’t know if the soccer mom was looking, but he wanted to wrap himself around Shiro, to kick past the line they’d been dancing around for weeks because Quinn might have been a jerk, but he hadn’t been entirely wrong.

And Keith was happier now then he had been in a long time.

“Mei’s excited.” It was an unnecessary statement. The bright blue racer could be spotted from a mile away, though Mei had settled as far away as possible from Victoria’s car. When she spotted them, she waved enthusiastically, her helmet already securely on. They waved back. “What was that about?” Shiro asked, apparently bored by the question, but Keith was learning all the nuances behind the masks he wore. They were going to have to work on talking to each other, except this time Keith didn’t think it was going to be a problem.

“I didn’t know he’d be here.” Keith shrugged, and it was almost funny. They’d both been excited to leave, but when they needed it most, Broughton welcomed them back. Keith didn’t know how long Quinn was going to stay, but the longer he stayed, the longer Keith doubted he was ever going to leave. “Doesn’t matter. It’s better this way.”

Shiro hesitated, the tiniest stress fractures breaking through his smile and Keith put a gentle hand to his arm. “Just ignore him, he doesn’t have anything to do with this. Let’s just go get ready for Mei’s race.”

“Keith.” He said softly, hands curling like he wanted to wrap them around Keith’s waist and draw him in. “I don’t know exactly what we’ve been doing these last few weeks, but I ruined things before by reading into things and pushing you into something you didn’t want.”

“You didn’t-” Keith tried to say, but Shiro wouldn’t let him continue.

“I like you. A  _lot_ , and if this thing becomes something more than being friends…I’m just never going to be him. I can’t be like that. And Mei, she’s part of this too. It’s kind of a lot to ask someone to jump into a relationship with a kid, but she has to come first. She doesn’t have anyone else but me and I can’t let her down.”

Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck, pulling him into a hug so swift that he lost the words. “I don’t want you to be like him.” Keith whispered fiercely. “I’m scared I’m going to screw this up and I’m scared about how to help. I’m scared that I’m going to fail just like I did before and this time, I’m going to lose the best friend I ever had. I’m scared of a lot of things, Shiro, but not of trying this.” He pulled back, stretching up on his toes to bump his nose against Shiro’s. “I like you too.”

He could tell the moment Shiro relaxed against him, with a breathless little exhale that made Keith smile without meaning to. Shiro was hesitant as he reached up to cup Keith’s cheek. The tips of his fingers were calloused and rough, but they were more gentle than anything Keith could remember feeling in years. He was close enough to feel the heat of Shiro’s skin through his clothes, that ridiculous shirt stretched across everything Keith wanted to run his hands over. He let Shiro tilt his head up, eyes falling shut as his thumb brushed across his lips, and he could feel Shiro lean in.

“You’ve still got glitter on your nose.”

And Keith froze.

A loud honking made them both turn, tensing in each other’s arms, and across the field of brightly-colored box cars, Mei yelled, “Stop being gross!”

But she wore the biggest smile she could, and she gave them both an obnoxious thumbs up. They’d gathered an audience, but Shiro was grinning, and when he pulled away, his arm stayed wrapped around Keith’s waist. That was pretty okay with Keith, too.

The kids took their places, brightly colored soapbox cars poised at the edge of the hill. Bales of hay lined the raceway for safety and a banner at the bottom marked the end. Shiro gave Mei a thumbs up and she grinned widely back at him, adjusting her overly large racing goggles beneath her helmet.

When the cap pistol snapped, Shiro held his breath as the kids launched themselves down the hill. Beside him, Keith’s arm tightened around his waist as they both leaned in, like they could get a better look. The cars careened down the raceway, ribbons trailing out behind them and sparkles flashing.

“Come on, Mei!” Shiro whooped at the top of his lungs as Keith yelled in excitement, both of them cheering loud enough that they hoped she could hear. “You can do it, come on! Almost there!”

The little blue rocket was true to its name. It shout out front, barely missing a crash as a red painted firetruck collided with a plywood sports car, zipping to the front of the line. Shiro had never been so proud in his entire life. If there was anything to the Shirogane pilot legacy, it looked like it was alive and well.

“She’s gonna make it!” Keith said, and he couldn’t tell if he was hoping or cheering, but Mei took a sharp turn too quickly and suddenly a sailboat on wheels smacked her in the rear. Shiro swore unflatteringly, with many _forks_ and _bullshirts_ , and Keith couldn’t stop smiling. Mei wobbled dangerously, swerving with just as much spunk as her uncle had to cut off her opponent and screaming into the wind. The racers speeding towards the finish line at break neck(ish) speeds and a hush fell through the crowd as it collectively held its breath.

Then Shiro saw it.

Keith was holding Shiro’s hand, twining his fingers between Shiro’s where they pressed against his hip. It was sweet and easy and everything just felt right.

Then a roar passed through the crowd and Mei was racing past the finish line, her hands thrown up in victory, helmet askew, and Keith screamed, jumping up and punching the air. Shiro caught him when he fell, bent him over his arm and kissed him. There was surprise on his lips and a cheer caught on his tongue, but Shiro kissed it all away, until Keith’s eyes fell shut and all he could was hold on.

The crowd was cheering for his little girl, but Shiro knew who’d really won the day. And Keith wasn’t letting go.

They dashed towards the finished line, breathless like they’d run their own race. Shiro felt like he had, the same sense of victory and adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was flushed red, skin on fire and humming with energy. This was happiness, maybe love, and he was so ready to grab it with both hands.

So he did, swinging Mei up into his arms and she squealed, hugging Shiro with all the strength in her body. “Did you see? I won, I totally won!”

“I knew you could do it.” He kissed her cheeks as Keith wrapped his arms around them both, squeezing their family tight. Theirs, that had a nice ring to it.

“Wait, I have to do something.” Mei squirmed to be put down and peeled off her helmet, leaving it in the grass as she ran over to one of the other girls.  Shiro couldn’t hear what she was saying, but when Mei hugged her ‘evil’ rival Victoria, Shiro thought his heart would burst.  

“You know.” Keith murmured into his ear. “I think you might be a better parent than you give yourself credit for.”

Shiro didn’t have an answer for that, just draped his arm across Keith’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

“I haven’t even gotten started yet, Takashi.” Keith said with a smile as Mei bounced over, wiggling her way between them so she could hold on to both of their hands.

“I won, that means I get ice cream, right? Pleeeease?” She wheedled and Shiro had to laugh.

“Of course, we have to celebrate! Any kind of ice cream as you want, two scoops even.”

“Good!” She said, tugging hard on their arms so they’d have to follow her. Do you think they have a blue kind? I want blue ice cream.”

“We can see if they do, baby girl.”

Mei beamed, dragging the pair behind her. “Oh, and Uncle Shiro?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you and Keith gonna kiss again?”

Shiro’s jaw dropped, gobsmacked and confused, and Mei stared up at him, completely oblivious to the crisis he was going through.

“Is Keith going to live with us now? I don’t think he has a house. Are you gonna get married?”

“Why - wouldn’t Keith have a house?” Shiro said, trying valiantly to regain his composure. Keith wasn’t helping, not even a little bit.

Mei shrugged. “Never seen it.”

“I. I-? Well. We’re going to…”

Then Keith stepped in front of Shiro, his arm casually draped across his friend’s broad shoulders, drawing him in with a lazy smile.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do next, but we promise, when we figure it out, you’ll be the first to know.” He said, leaning into Shiro’s side, a helplessly smug expression on his face. “For now, there’s a breakfast date I gotta keep. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

**Author's Note:**

> Other fics in this verse include _[The Accident,](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11903613)_ and [Parent-Teacher Night!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11874207)
> 
> You can find Dans [here.](http://itdans.tumblr.com/)  
> Rune's tumblr is [here](http://runicscribbles.tumblr.com/) and twitter is [here.](http://twitter.com/runicscribbles)
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed! Come say hello. :)


End file.
